Pb govt committed to eradicate graft, unemployment: Manpreet

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal today said the Congress government is committed to eradicating corruption, unemployment, illiteracy, illiteracy and drug menace from the state.
Addressing a state-level function at Gurdwara Saragarhi Sahib in Firozepur Cantonment in memory of the valiant Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army, killed in the Battle of Saragarhi, he said the government will work with full dedication in realising the dreams of martyrs.
Punjab Cabinet Ministers Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot were also present at the event.
The battle was fought before the Tirah Campaign on September 12, 1897 between just 21 Sikhs of the 36th Sikhs (now the 4th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment) of British Indian Army, defending an army post in the North-West Frontier Province(now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) and 10,000 Afghan tribesmen.

Addressing the function, Badal announced holiday to mark Saragarhi's day
On the demand of MLA Parminder Singh Pinki, he announced that the funds required for building of memorial and museum in the memory of the 21 Sikh soldiers would be provided by the state government and it would make every effort to spread awareness about their valour.

The minister also thanked a delegation of the British Army, the martyrs' families and others who attended the function.
He also presented the dignitaries a book on the Battle of Saragarhi written by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Sidhu, in his address, said a museum and library would be built in memory of the 21 Sikh soldiers and there would not be any shortage of funds for that.