Punjab CM calls up beneficiaries of scheme

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today surprised people seeking facilities under the Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojna when he started calling up the intended beneficiaries of the scheme to know about their experiences.
The beneficiaries belonging to Ludhiana, Bathinda, Fazilka and Gurdaspur districts were taken aback on hearing the voice of the CM, who opened his conversation with "Main Parkash Singh Badal Bol Riha Haan Ji.."
Some of the beneficiaries found it hard to believe their ears and took it to be a call to a wrong number and said so, an official release said here tonight.
But when the CM assured them that he wanted to speak to them only, then they opened up about the problems and difficulties they faced in certain aspects.

Chief Minister also enquired about the services, facilities and attitudes of the empanelled hospitals.
While speaking to Chief Minister over phone, beneficiaries not only thanked Badal but also informed him about the problems being faced in some of hospitals, the release said.

Badal said the SAD-BJP alliance government in Punjab has
added 13 more universities from merely four besides adding 30 new colleges against the already existing 48 to make the state a hub of higher education.
He said Punjab has been ranked by the Central Government amongst top performing states in Education infrastructure thereby the capturing third slot from 14th since the alliance government came to power.

Earlier in his address, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said Jaitely has always accorded due importance to Punjab by taking a number of favourable decisions like setting aside Rs 100 crore in the budget for the celebration of 350th Birth Anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh and allotting AIMS, IIM and a horticultural institute to the state.
He said Punjab always got best support from the union government whenever NDA was in power, "whereas Congress led union governments always meted out step motherly treatment to the state."
In his address Union Minister of State and state BJP chief Vijay Sampla said during the two years of NDA rule the country has witnessed great progress in every field.

He said there was complete coordination between the centre and state government which was acting as a catalyst in development of the state and welfare of its people.