Badal said the decisive battle against the social maladies such as drug addiction, female foeticide, environmental pollution, unemployment, illiteracy and economic disparity should be fought.
Addressing a gathering after unfurling the national tri-colour on the occasion of country's 66th Republic Day at a State level function in Government College here, he appealed people to "rise above petty considerations of party affiliations and trivial interests to make Punjab as the leading state in the country."
The five-time Chief Minister appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that "for the first time a sincere attempt has been made to demonstrate inclusive development in true spirit by eliciting the views of Chief Ministers of all the states in formulating the policies and programmes in a wide spectrum by scrapping the earlier Planning Commission of India (PCI) and now replacing the same with NITI Aayog.."