Capt: Release Rs 100 crore for 550th birth anniv celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev

| | Chandigarh | in Chandigarh

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday directed the state Finance Minister Manpreet Badal to immediately release Rs 100 crore for development and infrastructural works for the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev.

The Chief Minister has also asked the Finance Minister to make additional budgetary provision of an equal amount in the next fiscal for the development of Sultanpur Lodhi, Dera Baba Nanak and Batala — the holy places visited by Sikhs’ first Guru.

Capt Amarinder, chairing the second executive committee meeting of the State Committee for the Prakash Utsav celebration, asked his Principal Secretary to pursue with the Prime Minister’s Office the state’s proposal for Central Government grant of Rs 2,145 crore for the implementation of various projects on this momentous occasion.

He said he would write to the Union Ministry of External Affairs to urge their Pakistani counterpart to allow free access to Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan’s historic Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib, where the first Sikh Guru breathed his last, through a special corridor for at least a week during the period of main celebrations.

Responding to another suggestion by the executive committee, the Chief Minister also directed the Principal Secretary Cultural Affairs to examine the feasibility of running a special train connecting all the five Takhts as a religious tourism circuit.

The Chief Minister also constituted a four-member committee comprising Cabinet Ministers Navjot Sidhu, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Vijay Inder Singla and Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Navtej Singh Cheema to chalk out modalities for the main function at Sultanpur Lodhi on November 12, 2019.

To ensure timely completion of the ongoing development projects, the Chief Minister announced his decision to hold a review meeting every month.

The Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary to tie up with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to explore the possibility of developing a new township, named as Sri Guru Nanak Dev Nagar, around the Beas.

Taking part in the deliberations, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Bajwa offered to spruce up existing infrastructure, besides beautification, in nearly 40 villages blessed with the visits of Guru Nanak Dev at a cost of Rs 80 crores.