'48% decline in accidental deaths': Punjab CM Mann lists achievements during I-Day speech in Faridkot

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, during the Independence Day celebrations in Faridkot today, hoisted the national flag and outlined his government's achievements and future plans for the state.

His address focused on road safety, support for military families, rural development, education, and law enforcement.

He claimed that there had been a 48-per cent reduction in accidental deaths in Punjab, attributing it to a new 5,000-strong police force. The initiative was praised by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, he said.

He said Punjab was the first state to provide Rs 1 crore in aid to the family of any soldier of the state who is martyred. The benefit is also extended to the families of Punjab Police officers, who will receive a total of Rs 2 crore rupees from the government and their bank.

​He said the government had approved a budget for laying a 19,000-km network of roads, and the work would begin after the monsoon season.

To improve villages, a plan was under way to clean all polluted ponds, and 154 youth would be appointed under the Punjab Rural Transformation Fellowship Scheme to assist the government with development plans.

​The CM said that the government had introduced Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTMs) in government schools and appointed campus managers with CCTV cameras. A new curriculum focused on a 'war against drugs' would be introduced to students of classes XI to XII in 368 government schools.

​He said a reward policy had been introduced with regard to NDPS cases, offering Rs 1.20 lakh to officers who recovered more than 1 kilogram of heroin. The government had created 1,600 new police posts to address promotion issues and strengthen the force, he said.

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