Pathankot, August 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The 80th Independence Day was celebrated with patriotic fervour and enthusiasm at the Multipurpose Sports Stadium in Lamini, Pathankot, where Punjab Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak hoisted the National Tricolour and took the salute at the district-level समारोह.
The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Forests and Wildlife Preservation Minister attended the function as chief guest. The ceremony began with the National Anthem, followed by the hoisting of the National Flag and a rendition of the National Song by the band of Pratap World School. Kataruchak also inspected the parade, while balloons were released to symbolise national unity, integrity and communal harmony.
Deputy Commissioner Pathankot Dr Pallavi, SSP Daljinder Singh Dhillon, district administration and police officials, government employees, students and a large number of residents attended the event.
Addressing the gathering, Kataruchak paid tribute to freedom fighters and martyrs, including Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Udham Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Madan Lal Dhingra, Lala Lajpat Rai and Dr Diwan Singh Kalepani.
He said Punjab had made unparalleled sacrifices during the freedom struggle and asserted that the state government was working to build a Punjab envisioned by the martyrs. He highlighted measures including installing portraits of Bhagat Singh and Dr B.R. Ambedkar in government offices and naming Mohali International Airport after Bhagat Singh.
Focus on welfare, employment and healthcare
Kataruchak said the government had increased ex-gratia assistance for families of martyred soldiers from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore, with Agniveers also covered under the provision. Financial assistance of Rs 1 crore has also been arranged for families of police personnel, he said.
He highlighted a Rs 100-crore allocation for year-long events marking the 650th Parkash Purab of Shri Guru Ravidas Ji Maharaj, along with the development of a Shri Guru Ravidas Ji Bani Study Centre and a statewide plantation campaign involving Shri Guru Ravidas Ji gardens.
The minister also highlighted the ‘Mukh Mantri Maan-Dhian Satkar Yojana’ for women’s dignity and economic empowerment and the ‘Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana’, under which cashless treatment is being provided at government and empanelled private hospitals in Punjab and Chandigarh.
He said more than 69,000 government jobs had been provided since April 2022 and that domestic consumers were receiving up to 300 units of free electricity each month, with more than 90 per cent of households receiving zero electricity bills. Free power for agriculture was continuing for farmers, he added.
On drugs and crime, Kataruchak said the government was taking strict action against drug trafficking and running a decisive campaign against gangsters, with modern technology and special task forces being deployed to strengthen law and order.
Education and sports
Kataruchak said government school teachers and principals were being trained at institutions including those in Singapore and Finland and at IIM Ahmedabad. He said government school students were also performing well in competitive examinations such as JEE and NEET.
He said 58 sports grounds were being constructed in Pathankot district, including 29 in the Bhoa constituency, while 30 gyms had been established in villages.
In healthcare, he said Pathankot district had 32 Aam Aadmi Clinics, including 12 newly opened facilities, providing free medicines and laboratory tests. A new MRI and ultrasound machine was being installed at District Hospital Pathankot, along with construction of a new OPD block. New medical officers and staff nurses had also been recruited, he said.
The minister said 265 link roads covering around 370 km had been repaired or were under repair in the district, while 25 new link roads had been constructed or were under construction.
Cultural programmes and honours
Punjab Police, Punjab Home Guards and NCC and non-NCC students participated in the march-past and saluted the Tricolour. The CM’s Yogshala team gave a presentation, while students from various schools performed cultural programmes.
Participants in the cultural programmes and march-past, along with youth and employees who had performed exceptionally at the district level, were honoured with certificates of appreciation. Sewing machines, tricycles and wheelchairs were also distributed among beneficiaries under various schemes.
Kataruchak announced a holiday in all schools across the district on Monday.
The district administration honoured Kataruchak and his wife, Urmila Devi, with mementoes and shawls.
Among those present were Amandeep Sandhu, District President Pathankot; Thakur Swarn Singh Salaria, Constituency Incharge Sujanpur; Rohit Sial, Constituency Incharge Pathankot; Rekha Mani Sharma, Member, Punjab State Women Commission; Naresh Saini, Majha Zone Secretary, BC Wing; Saurav Behl, Chairman, Improvement Trust Pathankot; Ashwani Sharma, MLA Pathankot; Gurpreet Kaur, Chairperson, Zila Parishad; Sahib Singh Saba, Vice-Chairman, Zila Parishad; Pawan Bhardwaj, Chairman, Block Samiti Gharota; Contractor Amarjit Singh, State Secretary, SC Wing; Roshan Lal Bhagat, District President, SC Wing; Baljinder Bunty, President, Kisan Wing; Geeta Devi, Chairperson, Block Samiti Pathankot; Subhash Verma; Natinder Singh, Constituency Organisation Incharge; Vijay Kumar Bitta, District Incharge, BC Wing; Dinesh Subha, State General Secretary, Youth Wing; and other office-bearers.
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