Chandigarh, March 22: Punjab's new Law and Tourism Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Tuesday said that he has also been allocated the Mining department and it is the priority of his government to eradicate the mining mafia from the state.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Harjot Singh Bains on Tuesday took charge as Punjab's Mines and Geology, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Jails, and Legal and Legislative Affairs Minister in Chandigarh. Bains said that Punjab has entrusted the Aam Aadmi Party with huge responsibilities by trusting the Delhi Chief Minister and the party convener Arvind Kejriwal and gave its mandate to choose Bhagwant Singh Mann as Chief Minister.
Saying that he has been assigned with the most important portfolios of Law, Tourism, Mining and Jails, Bains presented his strategies in the related departments.
The AAP leader said, "Since mining mafia has been very prominent in the state, we are here to eradicate the mafia with 101 percent honesty," and added, "I will bring the new mining policy on the table within 3 months which would only be focused upon saving the exchequer of the state which will be used to boost the development of Punjab."
For expanding tourism in the state, the minister put forth his plans by emphasising the cultural heritage and village activities that would attract tourists.
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"Assumed Charge of my Office. I know I have a lot on my shoulder. But I am student of Arvind Kejriwal school of Politics and minister of @BhagwantMann government, I ensure 100% Honesty and 101% Dedication. I will give my best to Punjab," Bains tweeted earlier in the day.
Ahead of the Punjab assembly elections in February, Arvind Kejriwal had promised the state a fair investigation into the case of illegal sand mining and alleged that the former CM Charanjit Singh Channi gave a clean chit to himself by holding an investigation without the First Information Report (FIR).
Addressing a press conference in Amritsar on February 13, Kejriwal had stated, "Channi Sahab did an investigation on himself and gave himself a clean chit without getting an FIR investigated. When Bhagwant Mann will become CM, he will do a fair investigation on sand mining. When Channi's nephew has taken his name in front of ED that all this money belongs to Channi then why ED has not arrested Channi Sahib yet?"
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-PTC News