Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said a skill development centre will be developed on a plot adjoining Maharaja Dalip Singh Memorial at Bassian village.
The Chief Minister stated this after inaugurating the memorial constructed in the memory of last Sikh Emperor Maharaja Dalip Singh at Bassian Kothi near Raikot here today.
Addressing a gathering, Badal said making today's youth self-employed is the need of the hour and setting up of skill development training centres in different parts of the state is the first step in this direction.
Badal said the setting up of Skill Development Training Centre at Bassian village would help the youth of Raikot and its adjoining areas.
The Chief Minister said he has also asked representatives of Maharaja Dalip Singh Trust to give their suggestions so that this project could be conceptualised at the earliest.
Speaking about the historical significance of Bassian Kothi, Badal said that it was here that the last Sikh ruler, Maharaja Dalip Singh, son of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh, spent his last night (on December 31, 1849) as a sovereign king in Punjab, the state ruled by him. At that time Maharaja Dalip Singh was less than 12 years in age.
He said that Bassian Kothi was basically an advance supply depot of the British military division based at Ferozepur. While recalling his first visit to Bassian Kothi on April 20, 2011, the Chief Minister said when he first visited the place, Bassian Kothi was literally in shambles.
Badal said due to rich historical significance of this place, the state government decided to construct a memorial and an amount of Rs 5.29 crore was sanctioned for the purpose.
He said Delhi-based Indian National Trust and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was roped in for this purpose.
Badal said the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was based on "secularism" and the SAD-BJP alliance government was following his footsteps to propagate the rich legacy of Maharaja.
The Chief Minister said for preserving rich history, the SAD-BJP has been constructing several memorials in different parts of the state. He said that the memorials are constructed to perpetuate the glorious legacy of the state for coming generations.
The Punjab government has constructed Virasat-e-Khalsa at Sri Anandpur Sahib, Wadda Ghallughara, Chhotan Ghallughara, besides several other such monuments. Another Jang-e-Azadi Memorial is also under construction at Kartarpur (district Jalandhar).
