Chandigarh, January 21:

Haryana’s Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Sh. Anil Vij today took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his meeting in Kurukshetra with newly appointed district presidents of the Congress party. Anil Vij said that the entire country is well aware of Rahul Gandhi’s “expertise” — how many elections he has already caused his party to lose. Taking a sarcastic swipe, he remarked that “The knowledge Rahul Gandhi possesses, he has now come to pass on to his grassroots workers.” Sh.Vij added that this is an internal matter of the Congress party and the BJP has nothing to do with it.

The minister was speaking to mediapersons today.

*Democratic elections in BJP, ‘agency system’ in Opposition: Anil Vij explains the major difference between BJP and dynastic parties*

Reacting to the appointment of the BJP’s new National President, Energy Minister Anil Vij said that among all political parties in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party is the only one where leadership is chosen through a truly democratic process. He explained that the process begins with the formation of booth committees, followed by ward committees, district units, state units, and finally the election of the National President.

Taking a dig at Opposition parties, Anil Vij said that unlike dynastic and family-run parties—where leaders are pre-decided—the BJP follows a bottom-up approach. “Our leadership emerges from the grassroots, whereas in Opposition parties the system works top-down. Their high command decides state leaders, who in turn appoint district heads,” he said.

He compared this system to the distribution of agencies, where a company owner appoints state distributors who then appoint district dealers. “Other parties function exactly the same way,” he remarked. Anil Vij further stated that a party which lacks democracy within its own organization cannot be trusted to safeguard the democracy of 140 crore citizens of the country.

*Digvijaya Singh’s speaks in his sleep; RSS taught nationalism” : Vij*

Responding to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s statement alleging that the RSS instills fear among Hindus while Owaisi does the same among Muslims, Anil Vij strongly countered the remark. He said that “Digvijaya Singh wakes up after long naps and keeps speaking in his sleep.” He asserted that the RSS has always worked to strengthen Hindu society and has instilled the values of nationalism and patriotism in its cadre. Sh. Anil Vij added that whenever a disaster strikes anywhere in the country, RSS volunteers are always the first to step forward to serve the people.

*Anil Vij’s jibe at Surjewala: “He only knows politics, not public welfare”*

Reacting to Congress leader Randeep Surjewala’s tweet claiming that the BJP government has become a punishment for BPL families in Haryana, Anil Vij hit back saying that Surjewala is well aware that no one’s legitimate rights are being taken away. He clarified that BPL benefits are meant for families with an annual income of up to Rs 1.80 lakh, a fact Surjewala knows very well.Taking a sharp jibe, Anil Vij said, “Surjewala only understands politics; he does not understand public welfare.”

Chandigarh, January 21:

Punjab Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on Wednesday reiterated the state government’s firm stance on ensuring quality and transparency in the construction of rural sports playgrounds across Punjab. He said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is developing 3,100 rural sports grounds with the primary objective of steering youth away from drug abuse and motivating them towards sports and healthy lifestyles.

Addressing a press conference here, Minister Sond said that to ensure complete transparency and effective ground-level monitoring, the government has deployed three special flying squads. These squads will act as the “eyes and ears” of the government, conducting surprise inspections in villages to assess the actual progress and quality of work. He categorically stated that mere paperwork will no longer be acceptable and that quality construction on the ground is mandatory.

The Cabinet Minister informed that an MIS (Management Information System) portal has been developed for real-time monitoring of the project. Concerned officials are required to upload progress reports every 15 days along with photographs and geo-tagged evidence of the work carried out.

Sending a strong message on systemic reforms, Sond said that wherever false reporting or negligence in work has been detected, immediate action has been taken. Several officials have already been suspended and show cause notices issued. He made it clear that no political interference will be tolerated in such matters.

He further stated that uniform technical standards have been enforced across Punjab and third-party techno-financial audits are being conducted to ensure quality and financial discipline. “Every single rupee of public money is being accounted for so that rural Punjab receives world-class sports infrastructure,” he said.

The Minister added that sarpanches, gram panchayats and local sports clubs have been made key stakeholders in the initiative. These institutions, he said, are not mere spectators but active partners who will help monitor development works at the village level.

Responding to questions raised by the opposition, Sond said that honest officers have nothing to fear. Action will be taken only against those involved in false reporting, corruption or dereliction of duty. He emphasized that accountability has been made systemic rather than personal.

Reiterating the government’s commitment, the Cabinet Minister said that the Punjab Government is fully dedicated to safeguarding public funds and securing a better future for the youth. “This is the new Punjab, where playgrounds will not only be built but every inch of them will be closely monitored,” he concluded.

Chandigarh, January 21 — Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, while interacting with startup founders and entrepreneurs during a pre-budget consultation programme held today in Manesar, said that young innovators and startups are giving a new direction to Haryana’s economy.

The Chief Minister said ‘National Startup Day’ was celebrated on January 16, and today’s pre-budget consultation is a continuation of that celebration. Referring to the vision of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, he said, “Startup India is not merely a government scheme, but a ‘Rainbow Vision’ that connects different sectors with new possibilities.”

He said a startup is an idea that needs to be given a concrete shape. It is a small seed which, with the right support, can grow into a huge tree.

On this occasion, Haryana’s Industries and Commerce Minister Sh. Rao Narbir Singh, Minister of State for Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Sh. Gaurav Gautam, and Gurugram MLA Sh. Mukesh Sharma were present.

The Chief Minister said with the resolve to make the country developed by the year 2047, the government is continuously working at a fast pace. He said that major and historic changes are being witnessed in the country today. Whether it is road and transport infrastructure or other developmental projects, India is moving ahead at an unprecedented speed. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, the country has taken a new direction of development, and progress is clearly visible in every sector.

Emphasis on Funding and Technical Support

Welcoming the suggestions given by startup founders, the Chief Minister said that ideas received on issues such as ‘ease of doing business’, ‘funding’, and ‘technical support’ have been noted. He said, “No matter how small an idea may be, if it has the strength and vision, it does not take long to change the world.”

The Chief Minister informed that over the past 10 years, the number of startups in the country has increased from 500 to more than 2 lakh. Haryana has played a leading role in this growth, especially Gurugram and Manesar. Haryana now has more than 9,500 startups and ranks seventh in the country in this regard. Additionally, 19 unicorns have emerged from Haryana.

Haryana AI Mission to be established

Sharing details of key steps taken in the Budget 2025–26, the Chief Minister said that the future belongs to Artificial Intelligence (AI). With this vision, the Haryana Government has proposed the establishment of the ‘Haryana AI Mission’, for which an assurance of assistance of Rs. 474 crore has been received from the World Bank. Under this mission, one AI hub each will be set up in Gurugram and Panchkula, where 50,000 youth will be trained in new technologies.

He said to promote research in colleges and universities, the ‘Haryana State Research Fund’ has been established with an initial corpus of Rs. 20 crore. Along with this, a ‘Fund of Funds’ of Rs. 2,000 crore has also been created.

The Chief Minister said that to encourage startups, financial assistance of Rs. 10 lakh per startup is being provided through HSIIDC, and the ‘Mukhyamantri Kaushal Samman Yojana’ has been launched. The ‘Haryana State Startup Policy–2022’ is in force in the state, and recently, financial assistance of Rs. 1.14 crore has been provided to 22 startups.

He said that the startup culture will no longer remain limited to big cities. From the academic session 2025–26, ‘entrepreneurship competitions’ will be organized in every district, in which selected teams will be given financial assistance of Rs. 1 lakh by the government to convert their ideas into business models.

Considering Manesar as an industrial hub, the Chief Minister said that ‘incubation centres’ will be established in all industrial estates of HSIIDC so that startups can be provided workspaces at affordable rates. For this purpose, land has already been identified by HSIIDC in three IMT areas.

Reiterating the Prime Minister’s vision, the Chief Minister said, “Risk-taking has now become mainstream. Earlier, people were afraid to take risks, but today, not taking risks is considered the biggest risk.”

The Chief Minister expressed pride that more than 50 percent of startups in Haryana have at least one woman director, and the government is committed to supporting women entrepreneurs at every step.

He said that startups and young innovators working in different sectors across the country are the identity of New India. Whether it is the space sector or the defence sector, Haryana’s youth are making their strong presence felt in every field.

The Chief Minister made two requests to everyone—first, to send their suggestions through the chatbot within the next 8 to 10 days; and second, to listen to the Budget 2026–27 when it is presented in the Legislative Assembly.

He said those whose suggestions are included in the budget will be sent special invitations to witness the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly, so that they can personally see that the government has honoured their suggestions.

On this occasion, Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department, Sh. Vineet Garg; Additional Chief Secretary, Citizen Resources Information Department, Smt. G. Anupama; Principal Secretary, Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Department, Sh. Rajiv Ranjan; Commissioner and Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Dr. Amit Kumar Agrawal; Director General, Industries and Commerce Department, Sh. Yash Garg; and OSD to the Chief Minister, Dr. Raj Nehru, were also present.