Non-resident Indians of Punjabi origin have announced their support to the Opposition Congress in the January 30 Assembly elections in the state. Some of them have begun canvassing along with local candidates of the party.
According to the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), the NRIs’ support will play a “major role” in impacting the poll result in a large number of constituencies.
“Over 1,200 NRIs are campaigning in various constituencies along with the Congress candidates, urging voters to ensure the victory of our party,” according to Inder Dev Singh Musafir, chairman of the PCC’s NRI cell.
Only last week, Punjab-origin expatriates from across the world took part in a ‘Chalo Punjab: NRIs for Congress’ in support of the grand old party.
The ongoing movement, in its message to the voters, further said the formation of a Congress government under Captain Amarinder Singh was the “only way” to earn stability that would give NRIs the confidence to invest in the state in areas such as industry, healthcare and education and in turn generate employment in the State.
Singh, as PCC president, has assured the NRIs of Punjab that the Congress, if victorious, would set up fast-track courts for early resolution of legal disputes connected to property and marriages in relation to the expatriates.
The NRIs on their part have expressed desire to bring in investments to set up industry, healthcare centers and educational institutions so as to increase employment and growth opportunities in the state. For this, the Congress, through its manifesto, has announced a system of single-window clearance and self-certification for all projects that have kindled the interest of NRIs.
On their part, the NRIs have expressed willingness to take part in projects of social responsibility with wide-ranging benefits for the local citizens.
These would include development programmes in their native villages and beyond. Their particular interests are in projects such as supplying water (including, through overhead tanks), building underground sewerage system in villages, sewage treatment, solar/alternate energy generation projects, public toilets and rainwater harvesting systems, besides increasing tree plantation.
On its part, the Congress manifesto has announced a special scheme for the NRIs, where, if an expat showing the desire to donate towards a village development project, the party’s (future) government will supplement it by lending an equivalent amount.
This Congress proposal has received wide appreciation from the NRIs.
NRI ACTION PLAN
* In their message to voters, NRIs say a Congress government under Amarinder Singh alone can bring stability in Punjab so as to give NRIs the confidence to invest in the state
* The NRIs have also met and spoken with Congress dissidents, and urged them to withdraw from electoral fray; instead support the party’s candidates
* The NRIs are making a corpus to be dedicated to Punjab’s rural infrastructure. The projects undertaken under this fund will be in the areas of underground sewerage and its treatment, rainwater harvesting, water supply to households, building public toilets, generating alternate energy and planting trees
* There will be a separate committee formed for monitoring of this fund. PCC’s NRI cell will assist them to avail the benefits of the government grants for these projects, which have already been announced in the Congress manifesto
* A knowledge pool of NRIs from various backgrounds (such as science & technology, agriculture, medicine, education, tourism, town planning, engineering, real estate, retail and business) will be formed. It will work with the government to share ideas for improvement of the state’s infrastructure
