Farmers Movement Archive

State nearing target of 22,000 daily tests, says minister Soni

Amritsar, August 16The Covid-19 pandemic cast its shadow on the 74th Independence Day celebrations at the Attari-Wagah border and the district-level ceremony held at Guru Nanak stadium on Saturday as the events remained low-key affairs.At the border, there was no exchange of sweets and only customary parade by a BSF squad was held. Surjit Singh Deswal, Director General, BSF, was the chief guest at the event while included a 10-km ‘Independence Day walk’.74th Independence Day at the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar on Saturday. Tribune photoIn the city, Medical Education and Research Minster OP Soni unfurled the Tricolour and took salute from contingents of the Punjab Police.In his address, Soni said with an investment of Rs1,200 crore, the state government would open three new medical colleges at Mohali, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur and a cancer institute in the holy city. “The new colleges will double the number of government-run hospitals in the state from three to six. In addition, sanction for recruitment 850 doctors, nurses, paramedic staff and others has been accorded,” he said.Soni said admissions in MBBS courses at AIIMS, Bathinda, had started and a piece of land in Ferozepur had been earmarked to open a satellite centre of the PGI, Chandigarh. “Earlier, we would dispatch samples for Covid-19 testing to a lab in Pune, but now we are near the target of testing 22,000 samples daily in the state,” the minister said.He said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had ensured release of MSP of the last seven harvests within 48 hours of procurement. “Loans of farmers amounting to Rs4,700 crore have been waived off. The government also distributed 15 lakh packets of ration during the lockdown period,” Soni said.He said the government had provided youths with 58,000 jobs in government sector and about four lakh in private sector.He said reservation for freedom fighters in residential schemes of GAMADA, PUDA and others had been increased from two to three percent. For the benefit of 24 lakh beneficiaries under various social welfare schemes, the monthly pension had been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 750 per month, the minister said.

The Tribune

2020-08-17