Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today pushed for the drawing up of a master plan for his state to emerge as a hub for skill training and also got the Centre to back his government's efforts to curb the drugs menace as he met a host of Union ministers in the national capital.
Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot told Badal that expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) has been approved for nine new states, including Punjab.
The scheme will be implemented in 100 SC-majority (having over 50 per cent SC population) villages of Punjab, Badal was told.
A Punjab government release also claimed that Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy conceded the state's demand for the preparation within a fortnight of a master plan for making it a hub of skill training.
In a significant decision aimed at wiping out the curse of drugs from Punjab, the Centre also agreed to extend support and cooperation to the state for the setting up of drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres, the release added.
Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari assured Badal that the Centre would soon declare the historic Sri Anandpur Sahib-Talwandi Sabo-Nanded route as a national highway project.
Badal said that the project was of paramount historic and religious significance as the 10th Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh, reached Takht Sri Nanded Sahib from Sri Anandpur Sahib via Talwandi Sabo.
During his meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Badal sought his direct intervention for expediting the launch of the construction of the Service Selection Centre-North, which is to be spread over a plot of 200 acres in Ropar.
Badal also apprised Parrikar of the prestigious Punjab State War Heroes Memorial cum Museum coming up in Amritsar at a cost of Rs 130 crore. He urged the Union minister to ask the chiefs of armed forces to donate decommissioned combat equipment, war memorabilia and other regimental artifacts for display at this museum.
For his meeting with Gehlot, Badal was accompanied by the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Vijay Sampla, who hails from Punjab.
He was informed that the state government has been requested to forward letter of acceptance for coming under the expanded PMAGY so that initial instalment of funds could be released to it. In this connection, an orientation meeting is also planned to be held on March 10, the release added.
The chief minister was also informed that the Detailed Project Report for the Centre for Disability Sports at Zirakpur was under formulation.
