Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Media Incharge Baltej Pannu on Tuesday said the opposition has failed to find a single genuine issue against the Bhagwant Mann Government despite making repeated attempts to target it through misinformation, rumours and personal attacks. He said the government’s performance over the last four-and-a-half years has exposed the opposition’s inability to counter its work, citing achievements including free electricity for nearly 90% of households, expansion of canal irrigation to over 80% of the state, transparent recruitment of 68,228 government employees, financial assistance to lakhs of women, improved healthcare facilities and continuous engagement with employees to resolve their concerns.

The AAP Punjab Media In-charge said Punjab is steadily moving towards becoming a prosperous and vibrant “Rangla Punjab” under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party will seek a fresh mandate from the people on the basis of its performance and development-oriented governance in the next Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference, AAP Punjab Media Incharge and State General Secretary Baltej Pannu, “The opposition parties have been left without any real issues to raise against the Bhagwant Mann-led government because of its unprecedented performance over the last four-and-a-half years. The opposition has repeatedly tried to target the government through misinformation, rumours and personal attacks but has failed to find any genuine issue against the AAP government.”

The AAP Punjab Media In-charge said, “If the performance of the present government is compared with the previous Congress and Akali-BJP governments, the difference is evident in every sector. The opposition continues to spread baseless allegations because it cannot counter the Mann Government’s achievements.”

Highlighting the government’s key accomplishments, he said, “Nearly 90% of Punjab households are now receiving zero electricity bills, with 600 units of free electricity being provided every billing cycle. The opposition had repeatedly claimed that free electricity would never be implemented, but the government has fulfilled its promise.”

Speaking about irrigation, Baltej Pannu said, “Canal water coverage has increased from around 21% when the AAP government assumed office to over 80% today. Previous governments must answer where Punjab’s canal water was going for decades. They projected themselves as protectors of Punjab’s waters but failed the farmers.”

Referring to the government’s healthcare initiatives, he said, “Citizens can now avail cashless treatment worth up to ₹10 lakh, including at empanelled private hospitals, under the Punjab Government’s flagship health scheme.”

Talking about the government’s financial assistance scheme for women, Baltej Pannu said, “32 lakh women have already received financial assistance directly in their bank accounts, while 37 lakh women will receive the next installment on August 1. The opposition tried to spread false rumours regarding the scheme, but those attempts have completely failed.”

Emphasising employment generation, he added, “The Bhagwant Mann Government has so far provided 68,228 government jobs purely on merit and transparency. People should compare this record with the previous Congress and Akali-BJP governments.”

Sharing department-wise recruitment figures, Baltej Pannu said, “A total of 16,316 jobs have been provided in the School Education Department, 14,723 in the Home Affairs Department, 8,706 in the Power Department, 5,681 in Local Government, 4,758 in Health and Family Welfare, 2,355 in Revenue and Rehabilitation, 2,289 in Water Resources, 2,143 in Medical Education and Research, 1,679 in Agriculture, and 1,410 in Animal Husbandry.”

He further said, “Around 12,800 teachers have been regularised, while nearly 2,500 Forest Department employees have also been regularised after waiting for almost 14 years.”

Talking about employee welfare, Baltej Pannu said, “The Bhagwant Mann Government believes in dialogue rather than confrontation. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and other Cabinet ministers regularly hold meetings with employees’ unions and departmental representatives to resolve their issues.”

He added, “Discussions with PSPCL (Punjab State Power Corporation Limited) employees have concluded successfully and they have resumed work. Talks with sanitation workers have also been largely resolved. The government has agreed to provide paid leave, initiated the process to recognise their work experience, and accepted other genuine concerns through structured consultations to the Mohalla Clinic employees.”

Contrasting the present government’s approach with previous administrations, Baltej Pannu pointed out, “Earlier governments used force against protesting employees, whereas the Mann Government treats government employees as members of one family and works towards resolving their issues through continuous engagement.”

Concluding, Baltej Pannu said, “Punjab is steadily moving towards becoming a prosperous and vibrant ‘Rangla Punjab’ under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann. The AAP will seek a renewed mandate from the people on the basis of its performance and development-oriented governance in the next Assembly elections

Punjab Cabinet Ministers Barinder Kumar Goyal and Tarunpreet Singh Sond today jointly inaugurated major irrigation projects worth Rs 70.52 crore at Bhattian village in the Khanna assembly constituency.

While speaking on the occasion, Mr Barinder Kumar Goyal informed that around Rs 50.02 crore was spent on concrete lining across 68.32 km of canals, including the Khanna Rajwaha, Beed Kishan, Lalheri, Bardhal, Kotla, and Narayangarh minors. An additional Rs 20.50 crore was spent laying 23.40 km of underground pipelines.

He said that canal irrigation has now reached over 37,000 acres across nearly 30 villages. Remaining agricultural land in the area will also be linked to the canal network soon.

He further stated that the area irrigated by canal water in Khanna has increased from 21,506 acres in 2022 to 42,079 acres. He said that the state government has spent Rs 7,572 crore to overhaul Punjab’s canal network. Today, 86% of Punjab’s canal water is being utilized in fields, up significantly from just 26% in 2022.

Mr Goyal said that groundwater levels have shown improvement after a long time—a fact also acknowledged by the Union Water Resources Minister in Parliament. He said that without acquiring new land or spending extra money, the department increased the canal capacity by 12,000 cusecs. Currently, around 39,000 cusecs of water is flowing through 1,511 canals across the state.

While thanking his colleague Mr Barinder Kumar Goyal for giving several irrigation projects to Khanna, Cabinet Minister Mr Tarunpreet Singh Sond said that under previous governments, several areas had turned into “dark zones” due to depletion of groundwater. Under CM Bhagwant Singh Mann’s leadership, prioritizing canal water has drastically reduced groundwater dependence and saved electricity.

He said that now the punjabi farmers are getting 8 hours of uninterrupted daytime electricity for tubewells, meaning they no longer have to spend nights in the fields to irrigate their crops.

In a major breakthrough for public services across Punjab, Finance Minister and Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Employee Issues and Demands, Harpal Singh Cheema, on Tuesday announced that 16 unions of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the staff unions of Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) have officially called off their strikes and returned to work. He said the decision comes after extensive marathon negotiations led by the state government over the past two days successfully addressed core grievances, including accepting key demands of health staff and establishing a dedicated financial committee for power sector workers.

Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Following intensive deliberations late at night with Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond and PSPCL CMD, followed by a marathon five-hour session chaired by me at the Patiala Head Office, a mutual consensus was reached with all 16 power sector unions.”

He said that the key participating unions, including the Technical Services union PSEB, PSEB Employee Federation AITUC, Ministerial Services Union PSEB(MSU), Association of Junior Engineers, PSEB Employee Federation (Bhardwaj), PSEB Thermal Employees Coordination Committee, PSEB Karamchari Dal Punjab, Employees Federation PSEB, Punjab Raj Bijli Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), Worker Federation INTUC PSPCL/PSTCL, Employee Federation PSPCL/PSTCL (Pehalwan group), Employee Federation PSPCL/PSTCL (Chahal group), ITI Association, Grid Sub Station Employees Union Pb. (Reg.), Powercom & Transco Pensioners union (AITUC), Pensioners Welfare Federation Punjab (Pehalwan), Mulazam United Organisation etc, agreed to restore normal functioning. “To address the financial aspects of their demands, the government has constituted a dedicated financial committee set to submit its final report by August 15,” he added.

The Finance Minister further said that the issue involving the health sector has also been resolved following a meeting between Aam Aadmi Clinics (AAC) union representatives and the Managing Director of the National Health Mission (NHM). “The state government accepted the union’s primary demand to count their service experience when filling regular posts, while the remaining administrative demands remain under active consideration,” said Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.

The Finance Minister also highlighted the progress regarding sanitation and sewerage board workers, with key unions withdrawing their calls following discussions with him and Local Government Minister Harjot Singh Bains.

Reaffirming the Punjab Government’s proactive stance, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “An ordinance to transition outsourced staff into contractual roles has been submitted to the Governor, paving the way for enhanced job security and service conditions for thousands of workers across the state,” he added.

With normal operations now fully restored in power supply and healthcare, the Finance Minister reiterated the Punjab Government’s commitment to employee welfare while ensuring uninterrupted services for the people of Punjab.