Fatehgarh Sahib, August 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Saturday hoisted the national flag at the district-level Independence Day celebrations held at the Madhopur Sports Stadium in Sirhind, Fatehgarh Sahib, and highlighted the state government’s initiatives in development, infrastructure, education, healthcare and social welfare.
Addressing the gathering, Sandhwan extended Independence Day greetings to the people of Fatehgarh Sahib and Punjab and paid tribute to the freedom fighters and martyrs who made sacrifices for the country’s independence.
Referring to the historical and spiritual significance of Fatehgarh Sahib, he said the sacred land associated with Chhote Sahibzade and Mata Gujri Ji evokes a deep sense of spiritual strength and reverence.
Sandhwan said the government’s objective was not merely to announce schemes but to bring tangible improvements to people’s lives. He said several measures had been undertaken for the development of Fatehgarh Sahib and Punjab.
He said the pension for freedom fighters and their descendants in Punjab had been increased from Rs 9,400 to Rs 11,000. Under the Chief Minister’s Pilgrimage Scheme, more than four lakh devotees had so far been facilitated to visit various religious sites. He also said the state had allocated Rs 100 crore for year-long programmes to mark the 650th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Ravidas Ji Maharaj.
Taking a position on mining-related legislation introduced by the Centre, Sandhwan said the Bill concerning mining and minerals was a direct assault on the rights and financial autonomy of states. He urged the Union government to respect the constitutional rights of states and avoid unilateral decisions affecting their powers.
On the government’s anti-drug campaign, he said strict action was being taken against illegal activities while efforts were also focused on treatment and rehabilitation of affected youth, quality education, skill development and restoration of sports facilities.
Sandhwan said the state government had introduced legislation to protect parents from arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, under which annual fee increases could not exceed five per cent.
He said 94,092 students had received Rs 13.30 crore under the Pre-Matric SC Scholarship scheme, while 14,320 students had received Rs 5.72 crore under the Pre-Matric OBC Scholarship scheme. More than 2.45 lakh students had received Rs 302.34 crore under the Post-Matric SC Scholarship scheme, he said.
According to Sandhwan, the state government had provided more than 69,000 permanent government jobs to youth since April 2022.
Highlighting healthcare initiatives, he said the Chief Minister Health Scheme was providing free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh at more than 900 government and private hospitals. He added that more than six crore people had availed themselves of free treatment at the 1,090 Aam Aadmi Clinics established across Punjab.
He said 74.59 lakh women had registered under the Chief Minister Maawan-Dhiyan Satkar Scheme, while financial assistance of Rs 2,274.42 crore had been directly transferred into the bank accounts of 65.62 lakh beneficiaries as of August 1, 2026.
On industrial development, Sandhwan said Punjab had implemented the Industrial and Business Development Policy 2026. He claimed that investments exceeding Rs 1.83 lakh crore had come into the state since 2022, creating employment opportunities for more than six lakh youth.
He further said Rs 5,000 crore had been spent on reforms in the power sector, including the installation of 1,296 new 11-kV feeders.
During the celebrations, Sandhwan inspected the parade and took the salute from contingents of the Punjab Police, Punjab Women Police, Punjab Home Guards and NCC cadets. School students also presented a cultural programme.
Freedom fighters, families of martyred soldiers, parade contingents and personalities who had made notable contributions in different fields were honoured. Tricycles and sewing machines were also distributed among needy beneficiaries.
The district administration felicitated Sandhwan and Fatehgarh Sahib MLA Advocate Lakhbir Singh Rai.
Those present included Bassi Pathana MLA Rupinder Singh Happy, AAP SC Wing state president Gurpreet Singh GP, District Planning Committee chairman Ajay Libra, Market Committee Sirhind chairman Gurwinder Singh Dhillon, Market Committee Chanarthal Kalan chairman Rashpinder Singh Raja, Market Committee Amloh chairperson Sukhwinder Kaur Gehlot, District Council chairman Singara Singh Salana, Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Shubham Aggarwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Amarbir Kaur Bhullar, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Surinder Singh Dhaliwal, SDM Karun Gupta, RTO Naman Mardkan and other political, religious and social representatives.
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