Govt committed to development

PATIALA, Nov 9: Surinder Kaur Badal, wife of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, came out stoutly in defence of the Punjab Government...

PATIALA, Nov 9: Surinder Kaur Badal, wife of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, came out stoutly in defence of the Punjab Government.

Speaking at the concluding function of the three-day district Red Cross Mela here last evening, she said that Parkash Singh Badal was committed to the development of the state and welfare of the public in general, However, paucity of funds stood in the way of of execution of certain development works. The public, therefore, must bear with the government and not be misled by propaganda that the state government was ignoring development, she said.

She said that the interests of Punjab and Punjabis were foremost in the mind of Badal who had done his best during his three tenures as the Chief Minister. She said his dedication to the cause of Punjab could be gauged from the fact that he chose to go to jail just four days before the marriage of his only daughter.

Lauding the efforts of the District Red Cross in organising the mela, she called for holding more such Melas at the block and village levels so that the people living there could be reminded of their rich cultural heritage.

Surinder Kaur called upon social and voluntary organisations to come forward in a big way and adopt the destitute and deprived children. These children could be enrolled as 8220;Red Cross children8221; and records about their studies and progress in life maintained in the office of the deputy commissioner.

Pamela Pawar, wife of the commissioner of Patiala division, who is also the president of the hospital welfare section of the District Red Cross, said that during the last year the Red Cross had spent Rs 1 lakh to buy and distribute medicines among the poor patients admitted to hospitals.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included R.P.S. Pawar, Commissioner of Patiala Division, Dr Joginder Singh Puar, V-C, Punjabi University, Amarjit Singh Sidhu, member of the PPSC, Patiala district police chief Parampal Singh Sidhu and Kuldip Kaur Tohra, wife of Punjab Public Works Minister Harmail Singh.