‘AAP Must Answer for Four Years of Inaction Instead of Shifting the Smog Blame to Delhi’: Kewal Singh Dhillon

Kejriwal sought one year in November 2022 to end farm fires; four years on, AAP delivers excuses instead of solutions

Chandigarh, November 10-Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab President Kewal Singh Dhillon today mounted a sharp counter-offensive against the Bhagwant Mann government over its failure to manage crop residue, asserting that the Aam Aadmi Party cannot escape its four-and-a- half-year record in Punjab by staging press conferences to blame Delhi.

Dhillon stated that on November 4, 2022, Arvind Kejriwal publicly accepted responsibility for farm fires alongside Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking one year to resolve the crisis. Over four years into its tenure, the Mann administration has failed to provide accessible alternatives, leaving farmers stranded.

Placing Five Direct Questions before the AAP dispensation, Dhillon asked:

Where is the Bio-Decomposer? What happened to the Pusa Bio-Decomposer heavily promoted by AAP? How many acres were sprayed, what was the state-level expenditure, and what measurable results were achieved?

Where Did the ₹2,056.50 Crore Go? The Central Government released ₹2,056.50 crore to Punjab under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) Scheme up to 2025–26. Where has every single rupee been spent, and how much has actually reached farmers?

Where Are the 94,456 Machines? The Agriculture Department claims 94,456 CRM machines were deployed. How many are operational, how many Custom Hiring Centres are functional, and how many marginal farmers can actually access them during the sowing window?

Why No Direct Cash Incentive? While Haryana provides ₹1,000 to ₹1,200 per acre to its farmers, why did the Punjab government fail to independently fund its promised ₹2,500-per-acre cash assistance?

Why Slap FIRs and Red Entries on Annadatas? Why is the Mann government booking small farmers under police sections and making punitive red entries in revenue records to conceal its own administrative paralysis?

Dhillon demanded an immediate, independent audit of CRM machinery funds, an immediate rollback of punitive red entries against farmers, and practical per-acre financial support.

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Historic Slash in Cancer Drug Prices a Pro-People Decision by the Modi Govt: Shwait Malik

Price reduction across 1,364 formulations to provide an annual relief of ₹3,540.38 crore to patients

Chandigarh, November 10-Former Punjab BJP State President and former Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Malik today welcomed the central government’s decision to drastically slash the prices of 1,364 cancer formulations, terming it a massive economic relief for cancer patients and their families.

Malik stated that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government has taken another historic step to make essential healthcare accessible and affordable for the common citizen. The price reduction has been implemented by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), covering 1,364 formulations across 137 anti-cancer medicines.

Highlighting the scale of the relief, Shwait Malik pointed out that the prices of 679 brands have been slashed by more than 50 percent, with the steepest price drop reaching up to 96.45 percent. This landmark decision is estimated to generate annual savings of approximately ₹3,540.38 crore for consumers and patients across the country.

He emphasized that treating a life-threatening ailment like cancer poses an overwhelming financial challenge for families, often pushing them into severe economic distress. Substantially cheaper medicines will ensure that patients can sustain their long-term therapies without interruption. Malik concluded that this humanitarian measure clearly demonstrates that safeguarding citizens' health, ease of living, and financial well-being remains the foremost priority of the Modi government.

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‘Sikhiya Kranti’ Cannot Be Achieved Merely by Installing Computers and Painting School Walls: Avinash Rai Khanna

Chandigarh, November 10-Former Punjab BJP State President and former Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna today stated that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann must realize that a genuine “Sikhiya Kranti” cannot be achieved merely by dumping hardware and painting school buildings. Qualified teachers are fundamental to ensuring that educational infrastructure is put to effective use.

Reacting to the Chief Minister’s self-congratulatory claims of installing 40,003 computers in government schools to usher in a digital revolution, Khanna challenged Bhagwant Mann to declare publicly how many computer teachers his government has recruited throughout its tenure. "The answer is not a single one," Khanna noted.

The senior BJP leader pointed out that before claiming an educational turnaround, the Chief Minister should look at the ground reality: middle schools across Punjab completely lack computer teachers. Teachers from senior secondary schools are being temporarily deputed to other institutions for three days a week merely to keep records on paper. Furthermore, these teachers are overburdened with non-teaching administrative duties, leaving them with practically no time to conduct actual classroom lessons.

Khanna recalled that computer labs established in 2006–07 have now turned into unserviceable junk. "During the SAD-BJP government in 2016, 24 computers per school were operated efficiently using N-Computing technology. In contrast, providing a mere 8 computers for every 200 students today is nothing short of a cruel joke on digital education," he said.

Taking up the long-pending grievances of educators, Khanna highlighted that computer teachers regularized under the Punjab Information and Communication Technology Education Society (PICTES) back in 2011 continue to be deprived of basic allowances, career progression, and medical reimbursement.

"Despite winning a favourable verdict in the High Court regarding the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, the Mann government is evading its legal obligation to grant revised pay scales. Instead of giving teachers their rightful dues, the government is squandering lakhs of rupees from the public exchequer on high-priced lawyers to fight against its own teachers in the Supreme Court," Khanna said.