Panchayats minister warns officials against indulging in corruption

PAYAL (LUDHIANA): Stressing zero tolerance towards corrupt practices, minister for rural development and panchayats, animal husbandry, fisheries and dairy development and NRI affairs Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Saturday issued a warning to officials not to indulge in any sort of malpractices, especially while conducting development works in villages.

Dhaliwal said officials will not be spared if their direct or indirect share is found in materials used for the development works in villages. He said this while interacting with mediapersons during his visit to Payal on Saturday. He was accompanied by MLAS Manwinder Singh Giaspura, Tarunpreet Singh Sond and Hardeep Singh Mundian, deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik, SSP, Khanna, Amit Kumar, ADC (rural development) Amit Kumar Panchal, ADC, Khanna, Aditya Dachalwal, SDM, Deepjot Kaur, besides several others.

On freezing of grants in some villages, he said the previous government had announced huge grants for villages at the fag-end to win over voters. He said the Punjab government is just checking if the right amount had been doled out and assured that once all verification is done, the government will release the grant again.

Govt to set up 4 special courts for NRIS

Dhaliwal said the state government would soon prepare a database of NRIS so that they could get in touch with them to seek their support for projects in their native villages.

The cabinet minister on Saturday visited Gujjarwal village to kick-start the upgrade work of a government dispensary in the village. He announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh for the upgrade of this government dispensary. Philanthropists and NRIS from Gujjarwal village have joined together for the upgrade and renovation of the dilapidated building of government dispensary that was set up in the village in 1926. Canadabased Kuldeep Singh Grewal, an NRI from the village, has come forward to fund works worth Rs 10 lakh.

He said the state government would establish four special courts in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Bathinda for cases pertaining to NRIS.