Punjab governor reads out 51 pages, highlights health, education, anti-drug campaign

Chandigarh: In his 51-page address on the opening day of Punjab assembly's budget session on Friday, governor Gulab Chand Kataria presented an account of state govt's initiatives that focused on the expansion of public healthcare network, education reforms, expansion of public infrastructure, and the implementation of an anti-drug strategy.The governor said ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh' anti-drug campaign focused on enforcement and rehabilitation through 548 opioid-assisted treatment (OOAT) clinics, alongside 36 govt and 177 private de-addiction centres. De-addiction services were also extended to 19 jails. Since the start of these interventions, more than 10.63 lakh patients were registered and provided treatment.
He added the state was committed to building a robust, inclusive, people-centric healthcare system comprising 23 district hospitals, 42 sub-divisional hospitals, 162 community health centres, 523 primary health centres, 881 Aam Aadmi clinics, and 2453 health and wellness centres. "In all, 881 aam aadmi clinics across Punjab provided 107 medicines and 47 diagnostic tests free of cost and already recorded over 4.7 crore OPD visits, including 1.5 crore unique patients. Pregnancy care services introduced at AACs led to a decline in the maternal mortality ratio from 105 to 90," he said.The governor referred to the recently launched universal health coverage ensured under ‘Mukhya Mantri Sehat Yojana', which provides cashless health cover of up to Rs 10 lakh per family per year for 2,356 procedures. "Under Punjab Sikhya Kranti, the Punjab govt recruited a total of 13,765 teachers since April 2022. Seven batches of 234 principals and education officers were sent for a five-day leadership development programme to Singapore, four batches of 199 headmasters were sent to IIM Ahmedabad, and two batches of 144 primary cadre reachers were sent to Turku in Finland," he said. "Punjab emerged as a top-performing state in PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024. Around Rs 160 crore was allocated for safety and cleanliness in schools. A total of 118 govt schools are being transformed as state-of-the-art Schools of Eminence."The governor said the AAP govt adopted a zero tolerance policy towardsa corruption. He said from Jan 1, 2025 to Jan 31, 2026, the vigilance bureau registered 135 trap cases against 20 gazetted officers, 134 non-gazetted officials, and 44 private persons who were caught red-handed while accepting illegal gratification. "I am sanguine that we all will walk together step-by-step to re-establish ‘Rangla Punjab'," he added.