PunjabChief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday announced a Bhagat KabirChair in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and Rs10 crore for thedevelopment of Bhagat Kabir Bhawan in Jalandhar.
Onthe occasion of Bhagat Kabir Ji Jayanti, the Chief Minister also announced thathis government will soon disburse Rs. 560 crore to landless farm labourersunder the Debt Waiver Scheme.
Virtuallyjoining the people of Punjab in paying respects to the 15th-century mystic poetand saint Bhagat Kabir, the Chief Minister said the Chair to commemorate SantKabir will
undertakeresearch on the life and philosophy of the great mystic poet. The Bhagat KabirBhawan, he said, will be built over a 0.77 acre area, of which 13000 Sq.ft.covered area would house a community hall with seating capacity of 500. Of theRs. 10 crore, Rs. 3 crore would be spent on construction and Rs. 7 croretowards the land cost, he added.
Joiningthe people of Punjab in paying respects to the 15th-century mystic poet andsaint Bhagat Kabir at state-level celebrations, the Chief Minister exhortedthem to follow his teachings in right earnest so as to carve out an egalitariansociety rising above the parochial considerations of caste, colour, creed andreligion.
TheChief Minister spoke about the life and teachings of Bhagat Kabir Ji, citingthe eternal message of love, peace, harmony contained in his Bani, which ispart of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Though Bhagat Kabir's early life was spent ina Muslim family he was strongly influenced by the Hindu saint Ramananda, whichhad a deep impact on his writings during the Bhakti movement, said CaptainAmarinder, urging people to emulate the ideals of the great saint.
TheChief Minister listed the various welfare schemes for the underprivileged beingcarried out by his government in line with Bhagat Kabir Ji’s philosophy. Theseincluded Smart Ration Card Scheme,Ashirwaad Scheme, Shagun Scheme and Old Age & Widow Pension, he pointedout, adding that amounts under these schemes had been hiked by his government,with the pension amount to go up from Rs. 750 to Rs. 1500 per month from 1stJuly, 2021.
Referringto the Post Matric SC scholarship scheme, Captain Amarinder Singh said that theState Government had released 100% scholarship funds during the academic sessionof 2020-21, and had also amicably resolved the issue of pending payments withprivate colleges, which had been clearly told not to withhold the roll numberof any student.
Slammingthe Centre for abruptly withdrawing from the scheme, thus jeopardizing thefuture of our students, the Chief Minister said the state government hadlaunched Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Post Matric Scholarship scheme to bail out thestudents left in the lurch by the centre’s decision, forcing the GoI to alsorestore the scheme. Though the state had paid its 40% share, the CentralGovernment was yet to release its funds, he added.
Inline with his Goverment's commitment to help students, especially the 80%belonging to SC category, to pursue online education amid the Covid-19pandemic, smartphones had been given to 1.75 Lakh boys and girls ,with 2 Lakhmore in the pipeline this year, said the Chief Minister.
Onthe Debt Relief scheme, he disclosed that all loans upto Rs. 50,000 of the SCand BC Corporation had been waived. Besides, free power facility was also beinggiven upto 200 units to SC households.
TheChief Minister further pointed to the various commissions/boards set up tosafeguard the interests of the disadvantaged sections, such as Safai KaramchariCommission, Rai Sikh Welfare Board, Vimukat Jati Welfare Board, Bajigar andTappriwas Welfare Board and Dalit Vikas Board. The services of 4700 odd safaikaramcharis working on ad-hoc basis would also soon be regularized, as theCabinet had already given its nod for the same, he added.
Earlier,Industries and Commerce Minister Sunder Sham Arora urged the people to followthe path shown by Bhagat Kabir Ji who vehemently opposed the prevalent castesystem during his times. He lauded the visionary leadership of CaptainAmarinder Singh for commemorating various events associated with Punjab’srevered Gurus, Saints, Seers, and other prominent religious and socialpersonalities.
MLA(Jalandhar West) Sushil Kumar Rinku expressed gratitude to the Chief Ministerfor announcing a Chair and the Bhagat Kabir Bhawan. On his request, CaptainAmarinder asked the Sports Department to examine the suggestion for an exclusivesports park for women in Jalandhar.