Unleashing major power sector reforms, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and National Convener of AAP Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched the Roshan Punjab campaign worth more than Rs 5000 crore to make Punjab ‘first power cuts’ free state of the country.
Addressing the gathering after launching the Roshan Punjab campaign, Arvind Kejriwal said that Punjab has witnessed unprecedented floods due to which a lot of devastation took place but the brave and wise people of the state have combated it strongly. Talking about Roshan Punjab, he said that none of the government at the centre or state had ever dreamt about this ambitious project but the Punjab government has taken this historic initiative. Arvind Kejriwal said that industry sector is getting fourth lowest tariff in the country, agriculture sector is uninterrupted power and now this path breaking initiative is being taken adding that work on this has not been done in last 75 years.
Arvind Kejriwal said that it is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction to be here amongst all of you to launch the ‘Power Cut’ Free Punjab project. He said that this day marks a dawn of a new era as a historic initiative has been introduced in Punjab’s power sector. National Convener of AAP said that a project worth Rs 5000 crore is being launched to make Punjab free from power outages, through the complete transformation of the Transmission and Distribution network.
Arvind Kejriwal said that for the first time, an investment of Rs 5000 crore is being made to bring reforms in the power sector. He said that through this project, Punjab will receive uninterrupted 24-hour power supply by next year, which is why the project has been named “Roshan Punjab” (Illuminated Punjab). National Convener of AAP also lauded Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for preparing the blueprint for this project adding that under this project, new substations and power lines will be set up, the load on feeders will be reduced, and other important steps will be taken.
Arvind Kejriwal said that the focus will be on building new infrastructure, upgrading existing systems, and enhancing maintenance in the power sector. He said that this will eliminate the issue of voltage fluctuation, especially in rural and remote areas, and significantly improve power supply. The National Convener of AAP said that there is no shortage of electricity in Punjab, but in many places substations, electric lines, and other infrastructure have become outdated, leading to interruptions in power supply.
Arvind Kejriwal said that special projects have also been implemented to improve power systems in large cities. He said that in the 13 Municipal corporations, a project has been launched to improve the Low Tension (LT) network. National Convener of AAP said that Unnecessary wires are being removed from electric poles, low-hanging wires are being raised, old wires are being replaced, and open meter boxes are being sealed to ensure public safety.
Arvind Kejriwal said that often, low or naked wires cause accidents, which is why this project was initiated. He said that this was first introduced as a pilot project in the West Ludhiana subdivision, and after its success, it is now being implemented in other cities. National Convener of AAP said that the initiative has now been started across all 87 subdivisions under these municipal corporations and is expected to be completed by June 2026.
Arvind Kejriwal said that for the convenience of consumers, a call center has been set up in Mohali, and its helpline number – 1912 – has been launched. He said that the call center has a staff of 180 members who assist people around the clock. The National convener of AAP said that for the first time in Punjab, an initiative has been started to provide 600 units of free electricity to every household, to reduce the financial burden on common people.
Arvind Kejriwal said that today, 90% of homes in Punjab have a zero electricity bill. He said that for the first time, a government has bought a private plant adding that this plant has been named after the third Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Amar Das Ji. Congratulating all on this sacred occasion, the National Convener Of AAP expressed hope that Punjab will continue to scale new heights in every field.
Meanwhile , the Chief Minister said that the vision and dynamism of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal has forced the traditional political parties to change their manifestos. He said that education, health and power had acquired a centre stage in the political agenda of the parties due to the concerted efforts of AAP and its national convener Arvind Kejriwal. He said that prior to this none of the political parties had ever bothered about these core sectors that have been most important for a common man.
The Chief Minister said that realizing well that power is the lifeline of the economy, the state government has taken several key initiatives to augment this sector. He said it is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that due to concerted efforts of the state government all the sectors domestic, industrial and agriculture are getting uninterrupted power supply. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that owing to the massive efforts of the state government coal supply from Pachwara coal mine, which was shut since 2015, was resumed due to which the state now has surplus coal.
The Chief Minister said that contrary to the fact that the assets of the country are being sold at meager prices to the friends of the Union government, the state has created history by purchasing Goindwal power plant owned by a private company GVK Power. He said that for the first time this reverse trend has started that a government has purchased any private power plant whereas in the past the state governments used to sell their assets to the favorite individuals at ‘throw away’ prices. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government has named this power plant after the third Sikh Guru Sri Guru Amardass ji.
The Chief Minister said that 90% of households in Punjab are receiving zero electricity bills, which has provided huge economic relief to the public adding that Punjab has emerged as a lighthouse for the country with these power sector reforms. He said that nothing concrete had taken place in the power sector in the state during the misrule of Congress and Akali-BJP. However, Bhagwant Singh Mann said after assuming charge his government has taken several key initiatives in the power sector adding that these power sector reforms will further strengthen the power sector in the state.
The Chief Minister said that unemployment is the root cause of several social problems due to which the state government is focusing on eradicating this malady and so far around 55,000 government jobs have been provided to the youth. He said that the jobs have been provided completely on the basis of merit to the youth and that too in a transparent manner. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the drug mafia was patronized by the earlier governments but his government has launched a crusade- Yudh Nasheyan Virudh against drugs.
The Chief Minister said meticulous planning has been done to wipe out the menace of drugs from the state and now war against drugs has begun in a full-fledged manner. He categorically said that the state government is duty bound to illuminate Punjab by wiping out every kind of darkness from Punjab for which no stone is being left unturned. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government has set up Schools of Eminence across the state to impart quality education to the students.
The Chief Minister said that 265 students from Schools of Eminence and other government schools have qualified for the JEE Mains exam. Likewise, he said that 44 students have cleared JEE Advanced and 848 students have qualified for NEET. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics have been opened in the last three years, and this number will soon cross 1,000 adding that so far these clinics have provided free medicine to 1.75 crore people.
The Chief Minister categorically said that such functions never used to take place during the previous regimes as the state government wanted to keep the people in the dark. He said that in the last 3.5 years of his tenure his government has cleaned the mess created by the previous regimes in the last 75 years. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that those affluent leaders who have misused the power to usurp the rights of people or to ruin their lives will not be spared by any means.
On the occasion Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora, Lok Sabha MP Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal and others were also present.