PATIALA: Punjab Chief Minister  Parkash Singh Badal Monday announced to set up a board for the welfare of all the backward classes under his chairmanship and vice chairmanship of President Backward Classes Wing of Shiromani Akali Dal and Cabinet Minister Hira Singh Gabria.

Addressing a massive state level public rally of the backward classes organized by the Backward Classes Wing of Shiromani Akali Dal here at new grain market, Mr. Badal said that the newly set up board would also ensure that the backlog of the posts reserved for backward classes over the past many years would be filled up amongst the eligible beneficiaries of this category within a time bound frame. 

In another significant decision, Mr. Badal also declared that all the different communities belonging to backward classes would be soon conferred upon the rights of ownership of 40000 acres of government land on which they had been continuously tilling over the past 10 to 15 years.  Mr. Badal also pointed out that a comprehensive survey would be soon conducted by the state revenue department under the guidelines of Financial Commissioner Revenue to ascertain the modalities for these ownership rights.  It may be recalled that the state government had already bestowed these ownership rights on the members of bazigar community.   Likewise, Mr. Badal also extended the benefit of conferring ownership rights upon the members of the backward classes, who had constructed houses on the panchayati land fairly since long.  He said that government would soon bring both these proposals in the Cabinet for taking a final decision in this regard. 

The Chief Minister also announced that the state government would soon recommend the case of 'Gadria' community to the government of India to declare it scheduled caste on the pattern of 'Rai Sikhs' community which had been recently brought within the ambit of scheduled castes category.  To facilitate the comfortable stay of the members of backward classes who had to often visit district headquarters in connection their works, the Chief Minister announced to set up Bhawans at these places to provide them the facility of boarding and lodging at economical rates.  He urged the interested organizations/associations of backward classes to procure a plot from PUDA which was available at nominal rates and the entire expenditure on its construction ranging from Rs.50 lac to 1 crore would be spent by the state government as per the design/plan of the building. 

Taking a strong exception to the callous attitude of the Congress for exploiting the scheduled castes and backward classes as its secured vote bank, Mr. Badal asked the congress what tangible it had done for their welfare except showing apathy towards them thereby blatantly ignoring this important segment of the society for their own vested and political interests, best known to them.    He reiterated his firm resolves that SAD-BJP government was committed for the welfare of the backward classes at all costs.  He said that SAD-BJP government did not believe in tall claims and hollow slogans but actually in actions.  He said that merely seeking votes from a particular community by exploiting their emotions was against the moral values and political ethics. 

Later talking to the media persons, Mr.. Badal said that the Punjab government would ink a Memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Railways on October 1 to start a luxury train which would cover all the important religious, tourist and cultural destination in Punjab to showcase the untapped tourism potential of the state. 

Addressing on the occasion, President Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal asked the members of the backward classes to organize themselves in the form of committees with a membership of 20 to 30 representatives from different communities in each block and district across the state to strengthen the backward classes wing of the party. 

Taking Centre to the task for showing apathetic attitude towards Punjab farmers, Sukhbir Badal pointed out that it was a cruel joke with the farmers that the Central government had fixed Rs 850 per quintal as MSP for paddy, which was even much below Rs.1000/- per quintal recommended by Commission  for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP).  He said: "Probably it is for the first time in the history of agriculture economy that the Centre had fixed the MSP of paddy below the recommendation of the CACP".

On the occasion, SAD General Secretary Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra said that backward classes was the backbone of the party and it was all due to their unstinting support and inspiration, Capt. Amarinder Singh was defeated in Parliament election of 1998.