On Mann’s turf, Delhi CM to Punjab: ‘have patience, will fulfil all guarantees in 5 yrs’

He also blamed the previous regimes in Punjab for “destroying” the system in the last 70 years. He alleged that before the 2022 assembly elections, politics in Punjab was in the grip of a few families that were hand-in-glove with each other.

“These families looted Punjab. You formed the AAP government…the foundation of ‘rangla Punjab’ (vibrant Punjab) is being laid and the work for people’s welfare is going on,” he said.

Sharpening his attack on previous regimes in Punjab, Kejriwal asserted, “…in the last 70 years, these people created a mess in the system and they left no effort in destroying the system.

“Therefore, have some patience. There are several guarantees of Kejriwal and I am giving one more guarantee that all the guarantees will be fulfilled in five years,” Kejriwal said.

Among others, the AAP had promised free power up to 300 units and transferring Rs 1,000 per month into the bank accounts of every woman. The guarantee of Rs 1,000 to every woman, however, is yet to be fulfilled.

Kejriwal added that he was told that the government has regularised 15,000 contractual employees. “It (regularisation) is taking time because we do not want to do anything in haste that can lead to litigation,” he said slamming the Opposition parties for politicising the issue.

Kejriwal said 26,000 government jobs had been provided in just the past 10 months and called it a “big thing”.

On the education front, the Mann dispensation is sending 36 government school principals to Singapore for training, the Delhi chief minister added. “We are changing the education system like we did in Delhi. It will take time as schools are not set right overnight. We will give the best infrastructure to schools,” he said.

Punjab will also begin doorstep delivery of government services along the lines of Delhi, Kejriwal said, adding that this move would create around 6,000 jobs. Besides, ration will be delivered to beneficiaries’ homes, a move that will create another 3,000 to 4,000 jobs, he said.

Kejriwal also heaped praise on Mann for the work being undertaken by his regime. “We will make Punjab the number one state of the world in every sphere,” he said.

On law and order, Kejriwal accused previous regimes of giving political patronage to criminals. The Mann government has given free hand to the police to take strict action against criminals.

“When we took over the government, the state’s law and order was pathetic. There were gangsters all around. All of them had political patronage,” he alleged.

Meanwhile, Mann said his government is making concerted efforts to create a healthy and ‘rangla’ Punjab by ensuring comprehensive development in every sector. He said his government has already set the wheels in motion and massive work is being done in the fields of health, education and employment, which will bear fruits soon.

The Aam Aadmi clinics already in operation in the state are offering 41 health packages with nearly 100 clinical tests free of cost to the people, he said.

Nearly 10.26 lakh people have got free treatment at these health centres since August last year, Mann said, adding that 1.24 lakh patients underwent free clinical tests.

These clinics are acting as a cornerstone in the revamp of the healthcare system in Punjab, he said.

Setting up of these clinics is a humble effort by the state government to transform Punjab into a healthy and disease-free state, Mann added.

Punjab took the citizen-centric decision to open these neighbourhood health centres with inspiration from “the visionary leadership and guidance” of Kejriwal, he said, adding other states are now replicating this model to bring much needed reforms in the education and the health sectors.

Online data of every patient visiting these clinics across the state will be maintained and this will help in formulation of strategies to combat deadly diseases, he said, adding that it will ensure research-based diagnosis and treatment in an efficient and foolproof manner.

“The state government is spending every single penny of taxpayers’ money towards their well-being. These are not freebies but developmental expenditure aimed at ensuring the welfare of the people and the progress of the state,” Mann said.