LUDHIANA, Jan 5: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday reiterated that Punjab does not have “even a single drop of spare water” to share with other states.
Interests of the state on river waters will be secured by all means, he said.
With its groundwater depleting and canals drying up the state is facing water scarcity, the AAP leader said, adding that there was no question of Punjab sharing its water with any other state.
The minister made the remark after handing over job letters to 3,910 ‘master cadre’ teachers.
Mann said after the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government last year he had promised that 25,000 jobs will be given during the first year of their tenure, adding that his government has fulfilled its major promise in around nine months.
On Wednesday, a resolution to the contentious Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue remained elusive after Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat convened a joint meeting with Punjab and Haryana chief ministers to discuss the matter, with both the state leaders sticking to their stands.
While the Punjab CM said his state does not have “even a single drop of water” to share, his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar said the construction of the canal and obtaining water through it was a matter of “right” for his state.
Meanwhile, at the event here, Mann without naming anyone, asserted that all those who have mercilessly plundered the wealth of the state will be put behind the bars.
He said these people have committed a heinous crime by looting the wealth of the common man of the state and they will be punished for their “sin”.
The money recovered from them will be judiciously utilised for the progress of the state and prosperity of its people, Mann said.
The chief minister cautioned the people that forces inimical to Punjab are making constant efforts to disturb its hard-earned peace.
However, the state government is committed to safeguarding the peace, progress and prosperity of Punjab, he said.
Mann called upon the people to play a proactive role in cementing the ethos of peace, communal harmony and brotherhood in the state.
He said the state is on the threshold of witnessing revolutionary changes in the education, employment and health sectors in 2023.
Speaking after handing over job letters to 3,910 ‘master cadre’ teachers, he said the sole criteria for these jobs have been merit and the capability of the youth.
Mann said the state government will also regularise services of around 23,000 temporary employees shortly.
The chief minister said in the education sector recruitment of 6,635 ETT (elementary teachers) teachers is going on and a new advertisement for the recruitment of 5,994 other teachers has also been issued.
According to an official statement, education, health and employment sectors are three core areas of the state government.
Mann said the major focus of the state government is to check the brain drain from the state by upscaling infrastructure and manpower in these sectors.
Extending best wishes to the teachers for getting the employment letters, the Chief Minister described teachers next only to parents as they play a pivotal role in the comprehensive development of a child.
He called upon the newly recruited teachers to play a proactive role in shaping the destiny of the students.
He said that the state government will soon set up schools of eminence to provide quality education to the students of the state.
Mann also said that soon the state government will also recruit a campus manager and watchman for better upkeep of the schools (PTI)
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