Chandigarh, August 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Saturday announced that a Congress government, if elected in 2027, would provide legally sourced sand free of material cost for genuine household and public construction needs under a proposed ‘Punjab Da Ret Haq’ scheme.
Warring said the proposed initiative would seek to reduce construction costs for ordinary families, support employment and ensure that Punjab’s natural resources directly benefit its people.
“Sand is not a luxury. It is needed to build a house, repair a home, construct a school, build a road, lay a drain and create infrastructure. If Punjab has this natural resource, why should an ordinary Punjabi be forced to pay an excessive price for it?” he said.
Under the proposed scheme, legally extracted sand would be made available for eligible household, public and construction requirements through a transparent, technology-driven mechanism aimed at preventing misuse. Warring said the initiative would particularly benefit families constructing or repairing homes, farmers, small contractors, labourers and public infrastructure projects.
“Our aim is not simply to make sand cheaper. Our aim is to make life cheaper and development faster for the people of Punjab,” he said.
Warring said the policy would form part of a broader Congress approach to using Punjab’s natural resources for public welfare, employment generation and economic growth rather than treating them only as a source of government revenue.
Targeting the Aam Aadmi Party government, he said the AAP had made major promises concerning mining revenue during the 2022 Assembly elections.
According to Warring, the AAP had claimed that mining could generate Rs 20,000 crore annually and around Rs 1 lakh crore over five years, with the revenue intended for sectors including health, education and public welfare.
“Four years later, the people of Punjab have every right to ask: where is that promised transformation?” he said.
Warring said the Congress would adopt a fundamentally different approach to sand mining.
“AAP looked at Punjab’s sand and saw government revenue. Congress looks at Punjab’s sand and sees the homes of our families, the roads of our villages, the schools of our children and the jobs of our workers,” he said.
He stressed that the proposed scheme would not amount to unrestricted mining. A Congress government, he said, would introduce a transparent sand management system involving digital permits, transparent allocation, GPS-based monitoring of authorised transportation, real-time monitoring of mining sites, limits on legal extraction and environmental safeguards.
The system would also prioritise genuine household and public construction requirements and provide for strict action against illegal mining and unauthorised transportation.
“Free sand will never mean free licence to destroy Punjab’s rivers. We will protect the environment while ensuring that Punjab’s resources serve Punjab’s people,” Warring said.
He said the policy could also stimulate the construction economy by reducing costs and increasing work opportunities for masons, labourers, truck operators, electricians, plumbers and small contractors.
“A Punjabi family saving thousands of rupees while building its home is not a small thing. A government school being constructed at a lower cost is not a small thing. A village road being built for less money is not a small thing. Multiply that across Punjab and you have a major economic transformation,” he said.
Describing ‘Punjab Da Ret Haq’ as a new understanding between the government and people, Warring said Punjab’s natural wealth should serve the wider population.
“The resources of Punjab cannot be the private property of a few. Punjab belongs to its people, and its natural wealth must work for its people,” he said.
Calling the 2027 Assembly election a choice between two models of governance, Warring said, “One model asks how much revenue can be extracted from Punjab. Our model asks how much relief can be delivered to Punjab’s families.”
He said the Congress would take the proposed ‘Punjab Da Ret Haq’ scheme to villages, towns and cities across the state.
“In 2027, the people of Punjab will decide. We will give them a government that does not look at them as a source of revenue, but as the rightful owners of Punjab’s future,” Warring said.
He concluded with the slogan: “Punjab di ret, Punjab de lokan layi. Punjab da paisa, Punjab de vikas layi. Punjab de kudrati srot, Punjab de har parivaar di bhalai layi.”
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