‘Water for irrigation quadrupled in 2.5 yrs’

Bathinda: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday claimed that the canal water to the agriculture sector for irrigation purposes had increased by four times in the last two and half years.
“When the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had gained power in Punjab on March 16, 2022, only 21% canal water was available for irrigation purposes in the state but now, it has increased to 84% by laying underground pipes and saving wastage of water,” Mann said while addressing the people at Chaoke in Bathinda district after inaugurating an Aam Aadmi Clinic in the village.
“The govt wants it to reach 100% in coming years and then out of 14 lakh tube wells, nearly 5-6 lakh tube wells will stop extracting groundwater and the water table will go up considerably,” he said.
The CM also said at the time the AAP got the power many water courses and even drains had gone extinct which they retrieved, due to which the water started reaching to the tail-end villages.
Now, a new canal is being constructed through which water will be made available to more farmers and for this, even the lift pumps will be allowed, and more water outlets (mogha) will be set up, he added.
In the same breath, he said that like water, the farmers are being provided uninterrupted power supply to irrigate their fields through tube wells. Earlier it was limited to 8 hours, and it was provided during late night causing much inconvenience to farmers but now it is being given in the daytime with no time limit.
Mann further said till sometime back, the youths were heading to foreign countries mainly Canada, but as the govt jobs started raining in Punjab, the trend had been reversed. In these two and half years, 44,786 jobs have been provided and more are in the pipeline, he said. Speaking about the upcoming panchayat elections, Mann said as these were expected to be announced anytime now, there was dire need for educated persons to come forward to take part in these elections. He urged the people to elect well-meaning people and try to elect the panchayats unanimously. Apart from grants for stadiums and schools, the villages that will unanimously elect the panchayat will get an additional grant, said Mann.
The CM also called upon those contesting elections not to serve liquor and contest the polls in a peaceful manner.
I will not allow elected panchayats or sarpanches to make money, said Mann, adding that if anyone demanded a bribe, just pull out your phone and click the photo and the corrupt official would be taken to task.
He also announced that the deleted blue (smart) cards would be restored and more would be made available for deserving persons. Apart from Aam Aadmi Clinic at Chaoke, 29 more such centres had been started in the state, said Mann.