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RUBBISHES NITI AAYOG’S FARM TAXATION
PROPOSAL, DISCLOSES RS. 20,000 CR BATHINDA REFINERY EXPANSION PLAN
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SAYS DRUGS SCARCITY A SIGN OF SUCCESS
OF CRACKDOWN ON MAFIA BUT JOBS A MUST TO WEAN YOUTH WAY COMPLETELY
Chandigarh,
Punjab Chief Minister Captain
Amarinder Singh on Thursday said Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had the
potential to become the Prime Minister of the country and the time was right
for a generational change in the Congress to cater to the aspirations of the
over 70% youth population of the country.
In a wide-ranging interview with
senior journalist Vir Sanghvi on his `Rising Punjab 2017’ show for News18CNN,
the Chief Minister spoke about his government’s plans to revive agriculture and
industry in the state, while reiterating his commitment to completely wipe out
the drugs mafia, which was now struggling to survive in the face of his
government’s massive crackdown.
"> border killings, and Rahul Gandhi’s ability to lead the Congress, Captain Amarinder, in his usual frank style, opened up on a whole gamut of issues impacting his government and the party, as well as the interest of the nation.
The Chief Minister rubbished Niti
Aayog’s plans to tax farmers, saying such a move would threaten the survival of
the state’s farmers, who were already reeling under the burden of huge debts,
forcing many of them to take the extreme step of committing suicide.
Reiterating his support in favour of
Rahul’s capability to take on the party reins, Captain Amarinder, giving his
professional assessment on Rahul, said he had always found the AICC vice
president extremely perceptive and decisive. There was a deliberate attempt to
undermine his image by calling him names, he said, adding that Rahul had the
potential to become the Prime Minister of the country.
The Chief Minister exuded confidence
over the response by investors and industry to the change in dispensation in
the state, saying his government had, in just six weeks, been able to build
their confidence. He endorsed his claim by adding that the Bathinda refinery
was all set for a Rs. 20,000 crore expansion.
On the ticklish issue of drugs,
Captain Amarinder said while he could turn things around overnight, his
government had succeeded in creating the right enabling environment for the
elimination of drugs, which were now becoming increasingly less available, as
was evidenced in the spike in their prices. The number of youth going to
rehabilitation centres was another indication that his government had
successfully broken the backbone of the drugs mafia, which he had promised to
the people of Punjab, said the Chief Minister.
However, he was quick to point out
that it would be difficult to wean youth completely away from drugs without
giving them employment, to which his government was committed. Industrial
revival would lead to the large-scale creation of employment opportunities in
the state, said the Chief Minister, adding that he had received extremely
positive response from the industry for investment in the state. With 90 lakh
youth in Punjab either unemployed or underemployed, his government was going
all out with efforts to generate employment, he added.
Referring to the state of agriculture
in Punjab, the Chief Minister said his government was working to encourage
farmers, about 70% of whom were small farmers, to diversify and shift from
paddy to high cash crops. Such small farmers, with less than 5 acres each of
land, could not survive imposition of taxes as envisaged by the Niti Aayog, he
added.
While he gave due credit to the
previous government in the state for creating surplus power, which he had
sought the Prime Minister’s permission to sell to Pakistan and Nepal, the Chief
Minister came down heavily on the Badals for the huge debt they had left
behind, leaving the Congress government with no money to pay salaries or for
development.
Besides bringing economic growth back
on track, his government was working to improve education and health in the
state, said Captain Amarinder, adding that without good schooling, higher
education remained a problem, which was also reflected in the fact that
Punjabis were not faring too well in competitive exams, including those for
Army recruitment.
To a question about the border
killings, the Chief Minister said while killings and skirmishes had been going
on for long, the kind of brutality we see now was not there earlier. Incidents
like the recent mutilation of the bodies of two Indian jawans were
understandably provoking the wrath of the people and the Indian Army needed to
counter such acts effectively, he asserted. However, striking a note of
caution, he said that in the long term, both India and Pakistan needed to think
about peace and the future of the coming generations.
Without mincing words, Captain
Amarinder once again repeated that Khalistani sympathisers sitting in Canada
were misleading people with false information and he would not allow the peace
and stability of Punjab to be destroyed by such elements at any cost.
To another question, the Chief
Minister said while Punjabi language accorded due prominence, it was important
also to promote English to enable the youth to find jobs in the competitive
global market.
In a lighter vein, Captain Amarinder
said he loves arguing and keeps arguing on Facebook through the night, well
into the wee hours of the morning, to put his point across. “One also gets to
know the `sach’ (truth) of youngsters in this manner,” he quipped.
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