Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, May 5: Maintaining that there is a direct connection between unemployment and drug addiction, Former Punjab Chief Minister and PPCC President, Capt. Amarinder Singh, has said that employment generation would be the main priority of his government, if voted to power.
Addressing a large gathering of Punjabi NRIs from Bakersfield and Vaisili, California, on Tuesday, Capt. Amarinder said, “jobs can wean away youths from drugs and if Punjab has to be made drug free for all times to come, employment generation is one of the main solutions”. He said since the government alone cannot provide jobs to all the unemployed youths, the solution lies in making the state’s atmosphere conducive for private sector investments.
Capt. Amarinder said during his tenure MOUs worth Rs 106 lakh crores were signed for private investments in Punjab and had the Badal government pursued them, instead of scrapping all, more than 10 lakhs Punjabi youths would have been meaningfully employed today. “They just scrapped all the projects, as they were afraid that Amarinder would get the credit for solving Punjab’s unemployment problem to this great extent”, he said.
Saying that the industry in Punjab was dead today, Capt. Amarinder blamed the Akalis for creating an atmosphere where people have lost trust in the government. “Thanks to their misrule no private investor wants to look at Punjab and those who are here want to flee to other states”, he said.
Accusing the Badals of looting Punjab, Capt. Amarinder said, “they control all the businesses in the state today. Be it TV, transport, hotels, mining, liquor, they have seized control of all”.
Exhorting the NRIs to use their influence back home, Capt. Amarinder said, “if you are satisfied by what I have said and what I have promised, do tell your near and dear ones to support me and the Congress”. He said he was committed to getting Punjab back on the road to prosperity.
Dubbing AAP as a group of “power hungry outsiders”, Capt. Amarinder said, “Punjab today needs someone who can understand the pain of Punjabis. These outsiders have no concern for Punjab and their only aim is to grab power by spreading lies and canards”.
Urging the NRIs to give suggestions as to how their problems back home can be tackled, Capt. Amarinder said the Congress would include these its poll manifesto. He said, if voted to power, he would have a “high powered” NRI cell in the Chief Minister’s office, which would monitor their complaints and ensure timely solutions. He reiterated his commitment to setup fast track courts for NRIs’ cases.
