PM asks Punjabis to vote Congress for progress of state

Amritsar, Feb 5: Reminding the Punjabis that there was a Congress-led government at the Centre, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said if his party was given another term in Punjab, the border state was bound to touch new heights of progress, prosperity and development.

''We at the Centre will work shoulder-to-shoulder to take Punjab forward and once again make it the number one state of the country,'' he said while addressing his first election rally in his home-town.

''In Delhi there is a Congress-led government and if we have a Congress government here, then the Centre and State can work together for the progress of Punjab,'' he said in the presence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Punjab Pradesh Congress chief Shamsher Singh Dullo and Union Minister of State for Industries Ashwani Kumar.

Though a lot had been done in Punjab during the last five years of the Congress government, a lot more has to be done and this could only be possible ''if you give the party another five year term'', he said.

Punjab has to be made the number one state in all spheres-- agriculture, health, education, industrialisation etc, he added while assuring the Central government's continued assistance to the state.

Lauding Capt Amarinder Singh, the Prime Minister said that Chief Minister had brought Punjab back on the rails of progress. However, still more needed to be done and most important was that the state needs a Second Green Revolution for achieving a higher economic growth rate, he added. He pointed out that his government had given a sum of Rs 100 crore to the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) for agri research projects and for developing new seeds and the latest methods of cultivation.

Referring to the problems in the agri sector, Dr Singh said no doubt the state had achieved new heights in this sector, but the need of the hour was for the farmers to move onto fruits and vegetables from the paddy-wheat cycle. ''We have to look at giving a higher MSP for wheat and paddy, then there is the problem of rural indebtedness and lowering the rate of interest on agri loans,'' he pointed out while assuring that all these issues would be tackled by his government.

Referring to the health and education sectors, Dr Singh said these were two vital areas where Punjab needed to concentrate and if the Congress were again voted to power it would take care of these problems. All children in Punjab should be provided elimentary education as it was vital for progress and development of the state, he added.

Complimenting the government headed by Capt Singh, the Prime Minister said the Chief Minister had been able to attract about Rs one lakh crore investment to Punjab, but still industry and trade needed a boost in the state. Industrialisation is vital for the progress of any state, Mr Singh sought to remind the people while stressing that a Congress government in the border state would ensure all-round development.

Turning to the problems of the border districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Ferozepur, Mr Singh said there had not been much progress in these districts as border tensions with Pakistan had an adverse impact in these areas.

''However, we strived hard for improving relations with Pakistan and hopefully in the years to come, trade and business relations with the neighbour would improve and this would be directly beneficial for Punjab'', he added.

State finance minister Surinder Singla, who is the Congress candidate for the Amritsar parliamentary by-election and assembly candidates of Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts were also present at the rally.

Refering to cross border trade and commerce, Dr Singh said with the improvement in relations with Pakistan, India's trade with Central Asia would receive a new impetus. Punjab would directly benefit from this trade link, he added. ''It is my dream to see the border areas and Amritsar progress,'' he said while referring to his association with the Holy City and pointing out that he had spent his early days here.

Refering to Capt Singh's claim that around Rs 6000 crore had been spent on improving the infrastructure in the state, the Prime Minister, while congratulating the Chief Minister, said that another term for the Congress would further boost the economy of Punjab.

''We must have a government that works for the development of Punjab and Capt Singh is a farsighted personality with a modern mind who had taken the state towards new era of progres'', he said.

The people of the Majha belt (Amritsar and Gurdaspur) must unite to vote for the Congress and show the way to the rest of Punjab and India, that they are in favour of a government that would make Punjab the number one state in the country, he added.

Saying that the problem of unemployment in the state needed to be tackled and a still higher economic growth rate had to achieved, Mr Singh assured that Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewable Mission, which presently covered only Amritsar and Ludhiana cities, would be extended to other parts of the state.

UNI