Minister Goyal honours martyrs' kin on R-Day in Jalandhar

On the 77th Republic Day, Mining and Geology, Water Resources, and Land and Water Conservation Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Monday unfurled the national flag during the district-level function held at the local Guru Gobind Singh Stadium.

The minister took the salute from the march past led by IPS officer Ashok Meena and also honoured the family members of 10 soldiers martyred in the India-China, India-Pakistan and other wars.

Rajya Sabha Member Balbir Singh Seechewal, Kartarpur MLA Balkar Singh, Mayor Vaneet Dhir, DC Dr Himanshu Aggarwal, and Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur were also present.

Goyal paid homage to the sacrifices made by Punjabis in the freedom struggle and saluted the contribution of BR Ambedkar in framing the Constitution. The minister highlighted welfare initiatives being undertaken for the well-being of the people.

He said the government, which began its tenure after taking oath at Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village Khatkar Kalan, is dedicated to fulfilling the dreams of the martyrs. He mentioned several historic steps, including installing portraits of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Dr BR Ambedkar in government offices, renaming Mohali International Airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh, increasing ex gratia assistance to families of the martyred soldiers from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore, and extending similar financial support to the families of police personnel who sacrifice their lives in the line of duty.

The minister said the government had initiated mining auctions through a transparent online system to curb illegal mining and safeguard state resources. He added that more than 13,000 village ponds had been cleaned and over 6,900 km of old water channels revived, enabling irrigation at more than 1,300 new locations.

Highlighting healthcare initiatives, he said the ‘Mukhya Mantri Sehat Yojna’ provides cashless treatment up to Rs10 lakh at over 900 government and empanelled private hospitals, covering around 65 lakh families.

Goyal said the number of seats in ITIs had been increased from 35,000 to 52,000. Keeping in view the needs of industry and the market, 814 new trades had also been introduced.

The minister said 118 schools were being converted into Schools of Eminence. More than 10,000 students were benefiting from the transportation services being provided in government schools. He said Punjab had become the first state to introduce ‘Entrepreneurship’ as a main subject in Class 11 from the academic session 2025–26.

He said that government initiatives had brought positive changes in agriculture, with incidents of stubble burning declining by 53 per cent in the last season.

IGP, Intelligence, Babu Lal Meena, District and Session Judge Nirbhow Singh Gill, Chairman of the Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank Pawan Kumar Tinu, Chairman of Punjab Agri Export Corporation Limited Mangal Singh Bassi, Chairman of the Punjab Muslim Welfare Development Board Abdul Bahari Salmani, Chairman of the Punjab Khadi and Village Industries Board Gagandeep Singh (Kaku Ahluwalia), Municipal Commissioner Sandeep Rishi, Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Sharma, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development) Jasbir Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Amaninder Kaur, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development) Navdeep Kaur, Joint Commissioners Mandeep Kaur and Sumandeep Kaur, AAP leader Rajwinder Kaur Thiara were also present.

Meanwhile, Phagwara DC Amit Kumar Panchal, after unfurling the Tricolour at Guru Nanak Stadium during the district-level Republic Day celebrations, urged all citizens to work with greater dedication and commitment toward creating a healthy and prosperous society. He emphasized that true tribute to our martyrs lies in such collective efforts at this national festival.

Minister Balbir unfurls Tricolour in Nawanshahr

Cabinet Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education and Research Dr Balbir Singh unfurled the national flag at the district-level Republic Day function held at the ITI Ground, Nawanshahr.

Dr Balbir Singh inspected the marching contingents and took the salute during the ceremonial parade. Tableaux showcasing various development initiatives undertaken by the government were also presented.

DC Gulpreet Singh Aulakh and SSP Tushar Gupta were present during the ceremony.

Paying rich tributes to the unparalleled sacrifices of Punjabis in India’s freedom struggle, the Cabinet Minister saluted the brave soldiers of the Army, Navy, Air Force and armed forces who continue to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and integrity.

Dr Balbir Singh further stated that a heritage complex is being constructed at Khatkar Kalan at a cost of Rs 51.70 crore.

The District Red Cross Society distributed tricycles and sewing machines to needy beneficiaries. Officers and employees, who rendered exemplary services in various departments, were also felicitated, including the parade commander.

Students from various schools presented patriotic cultural performances, adding colour and enthusiasm to the celebrations.

Among those present were District and Sessions Judge Priya Sood, MLAs Santosh Kataria (Balachaur) and Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi (Banga), senior district officials, representatives of various boards and committees, officers, employees and a large number of local residents.