Raj Sadosh/Sri Muktsar Sahib/Abohar
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today announced that the party would give fifty per cent seats to women in panchayat and local body elections besides reserving 33 per cent seats for women while nominating candidates for the State assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing the first all women conference at the Maghi Mela in Muktsar, the SAD president said “the SAD is also committed to giving a boost to all social welfare initiatives concerning our women folk once we come to power in the State”. He said the Shagun scheme which had been discontinued by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government would be restarted. “We will also give lentils under the “aata- daal” scheme which has been severely curtailed presently besides increasing the old age pension to Rs 2,500 per month”.(SUBHEAD)
Former union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal spoke about the sacrifices made by women in the history of Punjab from the period of the Guru Sahiban to present times. She also spoke on how AAP was fooling Punjabis by trumpeting the zero-bill slogan even as all other social welfare benefits had been cut – be it Shagun, aata – daal or old age pensions. She said even the zero-bill slogan was being disproved with people complaining of huge power bills.
Istri Akali Dal president Hargobind Kaur said that be it the alarming increase in the drug menace or breakdown of law and order, women are the losers.
