category Regional, ludhiana, , tags Regional, ludhiana, , DW BUREAU Ludhiana Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday handed over cheques of Rs 1.75 lakh each to 25,000 beneficiaries, totalling a sum of Rs 101 crore, for construction of houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) scheme. Addressing the gathering at the state-level function after handing over the cheques, he said the state government is duty bound to ensure well-being of every strata of society, especially of the weaker and underprivileged sections. Noting that it is duty of the government to provide food, clothes and house to all residents of the state, Mann said that in a welfare state, the money for these pro-people initiatives come from the tax collected from masses which is repaid in the form of welfare schemes back to them. He said there was no dearth of funds earlier but the successive state governments lacked the vision and will to use these funds for the wellbeing of people. Mann claimed that the funds at that time used to go in pockets of the corrupt leaders but his government has checked this pilferage with a heavy hand and now this fund is being used for welfare of masses. Due to incompetent and corrupt leaders the people lost faith in the political leadership of the state, he said, adding that in the 2022 Assembly Polls, the people of state had reposed huge trust in him for which he will always remain indebted to them. Mann said his government is making every effort to uphold this confidence of people by ensuring the welfare of every section of society and giving impetus to development of the state. Expressing concern over the fatalities due to road accidents in the state, he said in order to save precious lives of people, his government has decided to form first-of-its-kind Road Safety Force to streamline the movement of traffic on roads. He said daily around 14 lives are lost in road accidents in Punjab, adding this causality can be checked by manning the roads well for which Road Safety Force has been formed. Mann said this force will be entrusted with the task of checking rash driving, streamlining vehicular movement on roads and others to check the road accidents. He said that he had flagged off 50 tractors for the Municipal Corporation Ludhiana adding that in order to ensure cleanliness and other works in villages the state government will soon embark a scheme to provide tractors to the village panchayats in the state. He said that in the first phase these tractors will be provided in the big villages so that boost can be given to their development. Bhagwant Mann said that besides ensuring works pertaining to the villages these tractors will be also helpful for the tractorless farmers for agriculture purposes. He said that the state government is laying major thrust on the Education, Health and Employment sector in the state. He said that this is the need of hour to reverse the trend of brain drain by channelizing the unbounded youth of energy in a positive direction. Bhagwant Mann said that the youth of the state have huge potential to excel in every field and every effort is being made to make them active partners in socio-economic development of the country. He further said that Punjabis are blessed with indomitable spirit to face colossal challenges and successfully emerge from them. Bhagwant Mann said Punjab is a land of saints, seers, prophets and great martyrs adding that Punjabis are sons of soil, who have learned a lot from teachings of great Gurus and sacrifices of our patriots. (editor dailyworld.in)