New Delhi, April 25: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has sought Centre support and urged the NITI Aayog for a one-time waiver of the state’s Rs 1.82 lakh crore debt and sought a special financial package from the Centre to promote industries.
The Chief Minister’s appeal for the central assistance was taken on record in the form of a speech at the third Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog. Singh could not attend the meeting.
Lauding the central government’s Smart City initiative, the chief minister mooted the establishment of Smart Villages on the same lines for the development of Punjab’s rural infrastructure. He urged the central government to launch a mission for this purpose, with adequate funding to upgrade rural infrastructure and bring the benefits of technology and markets to the state’s rural areas.
In his speech, Singh chronicled the urgent and crucial challenges confronting the people of Punjab. The Punjab government is confronted with the task of bringing the state out of its present financial distress, stagnating agriculture and industry, rising unemployment, collapsing urban infrastructure, declining agricultural income and consequent rural distress, he said.
News Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com
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