Minister Barinder Goyal : The southern districts of Punjab have the potential to extract potash.
Punjab Minister for Mines & Geology, Soil & Water Conservation, and Water Resources, Minister Barinder Goyal, hoisted the National Flag at Shaheed Major Harminderpal Singh (Shaurya Chakra) Government College in SAS Nagar, Mohali. He also took the salute from the march past and enjoyed the cultural performances presented by the students.
Paying tribute to the freedom fighters and the architects of the Constitution, Minister Barinder Goyal emphasized that the Bhagwant Mann-led government in Punjab is committed to transforming the state in line with the true spirit of the Constitution. He highlighted that the aspirations of the freedom fighters and Constitution’s architects are being realized in Punjab through effective governance.
Minister Barinder Goyal mentioned that Punjab is the first state to display portraits of Shaheed-e-Azam S. Bhagat Singh and Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar in government offices, replacing political leaders’ portraits. Goyal also pointed out that the Bhagwant Mann Government played a crucial role in naming Mohali International Airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh and installing a 30-foot statue of Sardar Bhagat Singh outside the airport.
Minister Barinder Goyal stated that the Punjab Government is prioritizing quality education and healthcare by establishing Schools of Eminence and Aam Aadmi Clinics. Since its inception, the Bhagwant Mann Government has provided 50,000 government jobs in Punjab, with merit being the sole criterion for selection.
Minister Barinder Goyal further mentioned that the Bhagwant Mann Government is constructing a 150 KM canal at a cost of ₹2,300 crore to irrigate 200,000 acres of land in Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Ferozepur, and Sri Muktsar Sahib districts. Additionally, work is ongoing on three canals in Pathankot to provide irrigation water to the area for the first time. Moreover, projects worth ₹2,100 crore are already underway for the repair and re-lining of water sources.
Minister Barinder Goyal also highlighted the successful introduction of the Punjab Miner Minerals Policy 2023, which included the auctioning of 74 public sites, with another 100 sites soon to be auctioned to increase revenue.
In his media interaction, the Minister mentioned that the southern regions of Punjab have the potential for significant potash deposits, which, when extracted, will further boost the state’s revenue.
Prominent figures present at the function included MLA Kulwant Singh, Chairperson of DPC Prabhjot Kaur, Chairman of Milkfed Narinder Singh Shergill, Member of the Punjab State Traders Commission Vineet Verma, Vice Chairman of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Subhash Sharma, and AAP Spokesperson Harsukhinder Singh Babbi Badal.
Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla also participated in the Republic Day celebrations.