Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said his government was consistently working for the welfare of the people by following the path shown by great personalities with several beneficial decisions inspired by their teachings and guidance.

The chief minister was addressing a gathering at a statue unveiling ceremony organised by the Bharatiya Jat Vikas Manch, along with the villagers of Phoolkan, on the occasion of Maharaja Surajmal’s Balidan Diwas in village Phoolkan of the district Sirsa, on Tuesday.

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He unveiled the statue of Maharaja Surajmal installed in the village and planted a sapling before paying floral tributes at the statue of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.

On the occasion, the chief minister announced to give Rs 21 lakh to the Bharatiya Jat Vikas Manch and Rs 11 lakh to the Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Shikshaarth and Charitable Trust. He described the life of Maharaja Surajmal as both inspiring and exemplary for the younger generations. He said Maharaja Surajmal’s name is held with immense pride and honour among the rulers who stood up against the Mughals in North India. At a young age of 14, he assumed control of the administration of Bharatpur state and went on to expand it through numerous conquests. Chief Minister Saini stated that his primary goal is to ensure the welfare and uplif of farmers, labourers, the scheduled castes and backward classes, and the overall development of the state.

He called it a duty of his government to protect the honour and dignity of every citizen. The government has drawn inspiration from the great personality of Maharaja Surajmal ji, and in his footsteps, has implemented numerous public welfare policies, he said, adding that Haryana is the only state in the entire country that purchases all 24 crops of farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), with payments for their crops being made within 72 hours.

The chief minister said the payments for crop purchases are directly deposited into the farmers’ bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). So far, Rs 1 lakh 25 thousand crore has been credited to the accounts of 12 lakh farmers for their crop purchases.

He also said due to delayed rains during the Kharif season this year; farmers had to make additional irrigation and other arrangements for sowing their crops. Acknowledging the struggles of the farmers, the government provided Rs 825 crore at the rate of Rs 2,000 per acre. Furthermore, the government has completely abolished the Abiana that has been in place since the British era and has also waived off previous dues amounting to Rs 133 crore.

He said the state government provided jobs to the youth of Haryana based on merit. With the formation of the government, 24,000 youth have joined government jobs, and to date, 1.71 lakh youth have been given government jobs. The chief minister said a target has been set to make 5 lakh women “Lakhpati Didi” in the state. So far, 1.5 lakh women have achieved this status.

Additionally, the government has set a goal of providing free drone pilot training to 5,000 women in the first phase under the ‘Drone Didi Yojana’. As part of this initiative, drones worth up to Rs 8 lakh are being provided free of cost. To date, free drones have been given to 100 women.