New Delhi/Chandigarh, December 15
Aam Aadmi Party Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, raised several pressing issues and demands for grants while speaking on the Supplementary Demands in Parliament.
Meet Hayer demanded that Anganwadi workers and helpers be regularised and that the meagre honorarium paid to them be increased. He also demanded that, in addition to the announced ₹1,600 crore flood relief package for Punjab, an additional ₹20,000 crore be given to compensate for the actual losses suffered by the state due to floods. Citing population growth, in the absence of a census, he also demanded the immediate issuance of new ration cards under the Public Distribution System. He further stated that grants in sports should be allocated to states based on their sporting performance.
Taking a dig at the “Viksit Bharat” model, Meet Hayer said that India ranks 102nd out of 123 countries on the Global Hunger Index. He said Anganwadi workers play a crucial role in child development, yet they are subjected to exploitation. The Centre provides only ₹4,500 to workers and ₹2,250 to helpers. He demanded that the government increase their honorarium, fix a permanent salary, and regularise their services.
Referring to the devastating floods in Punjab, the AAP MP said the state suffered financial losses amounting to ₹20,000 crore and that the basic infrastructure was badly damaged. He said the Prime Minister had announced a flood relief package of ₹1,600 crore for Punjab, but nothing has been received so far. He demanded that the Centre immediately release ₹20,000 crore along with the announced flood package.
Raising the issue of the shortage of ration cards under the Public Distribution System, Meet Hayer said that due to COVID, the census was not conducted in 2021 and there appears to be no possibility of it being conducted in the near future either. He said that according to the 2011 census, 1,41,45,000 ration cards were issued in Punjab, whereas due to population growth, the number of families below the poverty line has also increased, necessitating an increase in the number of ration cards in the state.
Highlighting discrimination against Punjab in sports grants, Meet Hayer said Punjab was sidelined in the Khelo India grants, while Gujarat was given crores of rupees in 2024. He said that Gujarat did not win a single medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, whereas eight players from Punjab won medals in hockey. He added that Punjab has villages like Sansarpur that have produced multiple medal-winning athletes from a single village. He demanded that sports grants be allocated to states based on their sporting performance. He further said that India is set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030, but the Central Government has not made any demand for sports in the supplementary grants this time.
