On the 76th Republic Day, Cabinet Minister Harjot Bains hoisted the national flag.
On Sunday, Minister Harjot Bains, the Minister of Punjab School Education, Higher Education, Technical Education, and Information & Public Relations, hoisted the National Flag at the Police Lines ground in Hoshiarpur to commemorate the 76th Republic Day.
Paying heartfelt tributes to the great martyrs and freedom fighters of the Independence movement, Minister Harjot Bains urged the people to unite and work towards realizing their dreams.
Following the flag hoisting at the district-level event, Minister Harjot Bains inspected the parade and saluted an impressive march past. He also honored the families of freedom fighters and distributed motor tricycles and sewing machines to those in need.
In his address, Minister Harjot Bains recognized the significant contribution of the brave soldiers from the three armed forces in safeguarding the nation’s unity and integrity. He also paid tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, stating that the adoption of the Constitution on January 26, 1950, marked India’s recognition as one of the world’s largest democracies.
Reflecting on the pivotal role of Punjabis in the freedom struggle, Minister Harjot Bains mentioned key historical events such as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He emphasized the pride of having the largest number of martyrs from Punjab in the national freedom movement.
Minister Harjot Bains affirmed the Punjab government’s strong commitment to realizing the aspirations of the great martyrs. He shared that after taking the oath at the ancestral village of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, the government had ensured the installation of photographs of Sardar Bhagat Singh and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in all government offices. In addition, the government worked to name Mohali’s international airport after the great martyr, and a statue of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh was also erected at the airport.
Minister Harjot Bains also highlighted the government’s initiatives for the welfare of army personnel, martyrs’ families, and retired soldiers. These include increasing ex-gratia payments for the families of martyrs to ₹1 crore and providing the same financial support to the families of police personnel who die in the line of duty. Moreover, the Punjab government has raised the financial assistance for Dharmi Faujis (Army Deserters) from ₹10,000 to ₹12,000 per month, and increased the monthly pensions for freedom fighters or their kin from ₹9,400 to ₹11,000.
In terms of employment,Minister Harjot Bains pointed out that the government has provided nearly 50,000 youths with government services over the past 34 months. Additionally, 4,862 placement drives were conducted, resulting in jobs for 2.72 lakh youths in the private sector. Over 10,000 youths were recruited into the Punjab Police since April 2022.
Minister Harjot Bains highlighted the Sadak Surakhya Force, a pioneering initiative by the state government, which has proven to be a lifesaver in Punjab. This force has provided immediate assistance in 19,000 accident cases so far, with an average response time of just 6.45 minutes.
In addition, Minister Harjot Bains announced a holiday for participating schools and colleges. Notable attendees at the event included MLAs Bram Shanker Jimpa, Jasvir Singh Raja Gill, Karamvir Singh Ghuman, Mayor Surinder Kumar, Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal, IG (Intelligence) Babu Lal Meena, SSP Surendra Lamba, District Planning Committee Chairperson Karamjit Kaur, AAP’s District President Gurwinder Singh Pabla, along with other dignitaries from various fields.