The past five years saw a serious disconnect between the people of Punjab and the government as “rulers” considered themselves “masters” and the public their “servile subjects”, Governor Banwarilal Purohit told the Vidhan Sabha Monday adding that the state “overwhelmingly voted for change” and this “historic mandate is for hope and aspiration” of “aam aadmi regardless of caste, class, gender or creed”. Addressing the first session of the new Vidhan Sabha, Purohit also outlined the AAP government’s roadmap for the next five years saying it was “committed to ending all sorts of illegal syndicates in transport, liquor, and sand mining in the state” with a policy of “a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption”. He also spoke of improving health and education sectors, establishing rule of law in letter and spirit, delivering government services at people’s doorstep, curbing the drug menace and a thorough probe into the sacrilege incidents. Referring to the previous Congress regime in Punjab, headed by Captain Amarinder Singh for around four and a half years before Charanjit Singh Channi replaced him in the run up to elections, Purohit said, “The past five years have seen a serious disconnect between the people and the government. The rulers became inaccessible, not only to the common people but even their representatives. They began to look at themselves as the masters and the people as their servile subjects. This ran against the very concept of democracy, in which people alone are the masters and those in the government have to function as their conscientious servants.” Purohit added, “Character assassination, which has never been a component of Punjabi culture, became the norm. This tendency was also at the root of the confrontationist politics that Punjab saw during the past years…The people of the state have clearly rebuffed this confrontationist tendency by voting in favour of an agenda for good governance and development, based on a broad Punjabi consensus.” He also touched upon the issue of "severe economic crisis" and said while quoting a RBI report that the state’s debt-GSDP ratio is 42.5 per cent, the highest after Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. "This clearly puts Punjab as the most indebted big state in India," he said. In his 45-minute address, Purohit said, “The people of Punjab have reposed faith in not only new approach to governance but also to a new political culture that stresses the need to put citizens at the center of our thoughts, actions and policies. The people of the state have just scripted a new chapter in the history of democracy in the state and the country. In an age of cynicism, people of Punjab came together to usher in Inquilab in the hope of a better day – in hope of re-establishing Rangla Punjab”. On the other hand, he said, his “government believes that in democracy, people are the king (Janta raj mein janta hi raja)”. “To my government, accessibility is the cornerstone on which the edifice of its relationship of trust and mutual affection with the people rests,” he added. Underlining that new government believes that “potential” was the word which alone can define Punjab, Purohit said, “We must look ahead and march forward.to a Punjab, where everyone is treated with respect; that creates jobs for everyone; where people are partners in progress; where our women are safe and sound; where our farmers are happy and are respected; which leads by example and is number one state in the country; where our future is rooted in our Punjabiyat; which is fearless and proud; which fulfils the aspirations of the people and which fulfils the dreams of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Baba [Bhim Rao] Ambedkar.” Stating that policies will be evolved to strengthen health and education, Purohit said that the existing hospitals will be made “world class” and new ones will be developed on large scale. He said 16,000 pind (village) and ward clinics will be established all over the state on the lines of “Mohalla Clinics” in Delhi. He also said that a scheme on the pattern of “Farishtey” in Delhi will be launched in Punjab to save the lives of accident victims. Stressing on quality education, the Governor said, “On the lines of Delhi, my government will strive to ensure that the education imparted at state-run schools is even better than private schools”. He said the teachers will be sent abroad for modern teaching methods in Finland, Canada, USA and England, along with the management institutes of the country. He added that teachers will not be assigned any non-teaching work. On electricity, Purohit said the government was “committed to 300 units of free power to each household, with which about 80 per cent households will get zero power bill”. Promising round the clock power supply, Purohit added, it would take two to three years for that as infrastructure upgradation would be required.
