Punjab government to take decision on slashing petrol, diesel prices in next cabinet meeting: Manpreet Singh Badal

LUDHIANA: Punjab finance and taxation minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Friday said that Punjab government would take decision on reducing petrol and diesel prices in next cabinet meeting scheduled on coming Tuesday i.e. November 9.
Speaking to the media after paying obeisance to Lord Vishwakarma Ji during state level function organised to commemorate birth anniversary of Lord Vishwakarma Ji here today, Manpreet Singh Badal said that Punjab government is also keen to slash the prices of petrol and diesel to give more relief to the people but the final decision would be taken in the cabinet meeting. The finance minister told that the union government should have reduced more excise duty.
Prominent among present on the occasion included MLAs Surinder Kumar Dawar, Sanjay Talwar, deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma, Punjab Medium Industrial Development Board (PMIDB) chairman Amarjeet Singh Tikka, Punjab Youth Board Development chairman Sukhwinder Singh Bindra, PSIDC chairman KK Bawa, PLIDB chairman Pawan Dewan, PLIDB senior vice chairman Ramesh Joshi, besides several others.
Manpreet Singh Badal said that state government has to take care of every sector including education, health, electricity, police, and infrastructure development and to run several social welfare schemes for the people. He said that the union government charges more taxes on petrol and diesel in comparison with the states but added that Punjab government is very much keen to minimise the prices of petrol and diesel and reduction would be announced in cabinet meeting on November 9.
Earlier presiding over the state level function, the finance minister called Lord Vishwakarma Ji as God of Craft, Architecture and Engineering. He said that Lord Vishwakarma Ji is divine draftsman of whole universe. He said that whatever industrial and infrastructure growth today we observe around, was happening only with the blessings and mechanical skills created by Lord Vishwakarma Ji.
The finance minister also announced a grant of Rs 1 crore revamping Lord Vishwakarma temple. Meanwhile, Food, Civil supplies and Consumers Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Industry and Commerce minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli also paid obeisance to Lord Vishwakarma Ji and announced Rs 10 lakh each for the temple respectively.