Chandigarh, March 6
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria reiterated the firm commitment of the Punjab Government to serve Punjab and its people with utmost dedication and sincerity and said the government is working to take Punjab forward on the path of development for carving out a vibrant and progressive ‘Rangla Punjab’. Addressing the twelfth Budget Session of the 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Kataria presented a comprehensive account of the initiatives undertaken by the Punjab Government across healthcare, education, agriculture, infrastructure, governance, welfare, industry and public services.
Highlighting the Punjab Government’s efforts to strengthen public healthcare, Kataria said, “The Punjab Government is committed to build a robust, inclusive and people-centric healthcare system that ensures quality, affordability and accessibility for every citizen by operating an extensive healthcare network comprising 23 District Hospitals, 42 Sub-Divisional Hospitals, 162 Community Health Centres, 523 Primary Health Centres, 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics and 2453 Health and Wellness Centres reflecting the Punjab Government’s strong commitment to universal health coverage.”
Governor further stated, “881 Aam Aadmi Clinics across Punjab provide 107 medicines and 47 diagnostic tests free of cost and have already recorded over 4.7 crore OPD visits, including 1.55 crore unique patients. In 2025-26, Punjab is set to cross nearly 2 crore primary healthcare OPD visits, thus demonstrating a new, cost-effective, patient-centric primary healthcare model that is being widely recognised. 240 additional Aam Aadmi Clinics will be operational shortly.”
The Governor said, “Pregnancy care services introduced at Aam Aadmi Clinics across Punjab have led to a decline in the Maternal Mortality Ratio from 105 to 90, reflecting the Punjab Government’s sustained focus on safe motherhood. The Punjab Government has also introduced anti-rabies vaccination services at Aam Aadmi Clinics.”
Emphasising the strengthening of the healthcare workforce, the Governor said, “The Punjab Government has undertaken the largest-ever recruitment of doctors in its history. Since 2022, the Punjab Government has recruited a total of 934 doctors for government hospitals, accounting for nearly 25 percent of the total doctors currently serving in Punjab.”
Highlighting universal health coverage, Governor noted, “The Punjab Government has launched Universal Health Coverage ensuring 100 percent coverage of the entire population of Punjab under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Sehat Yojana’. The scheme will provide cashless health cover of up to ₹10 lakh per family per year for 2356 medical and surgical procedures through a wide network of Government and empanelled private hospitals which are approximately 900 in number in Punjab and Chandigarh.”
Speaking about road safety and emergency response, the Governor said, “The Punjab Government has launched the ‘Farishtey’ and the ‘Sadak Surakhya Force’ aimed at ensuring timely assistance to road accident victims. The Farishtey Scheme provides immediate cashless treatment to accident victims and incentivises Good Samaritans with ₹2,000 along with a certificate for helping injured persons reach hospitals. This initiative has already enabled timely assistance to more than 600 road accident victims.”
Highlighting tertiary healthcare development, Governor noted, “The Punjab Government has taken a landmark initiative of strengthening advanced tertiary healthcare by operationalising the Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences. With the successful conduct of the first liver transplant in December 2025, liver transplant services have formally commenced under the public health system.”
Governor said, “‘CM Di Yogshala’ is a flagship wellness initiative currently holding 5000 supervised classes daily in different cities in all districts involving about 1.5 lakh individuals.”
Addressing the issue of drug abuse, the Governor stated, “The Punjab Government has launched the ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ campaign as a comprehensive and determined effort to combat drug abuse and trafficking across Punjab.”
Governor further said, “Under this campaign to provide accessible and effective de-addiction services a total of 548 Opioid Assisted Treatment clinics are operational across Punjab to provide treatment for Opioid Use Disorder. In addition, 36 Government and 177 private de-addiction centres along with 19 Government and 74 private rehabilitation centres are functioning to support treatment and long-term recovery. De-addiction services have also been extended to 19 jails ensuring continuity of care for incarcerated individuals.”
Speaking about sports development, Governor said, “The Punjab Government has kept a budget of ₹362.24 crore for sports in financial year 2025-26 and the Department of Sports is disbursing ₹12.15 crore to 10,406 players through Direct Benefit Transfer for the purchase of sports equipment, ₹4.91 crore to women cricketers and their coaches who won the World Cup 2025 and ₹23.1 crore to 1060 players in recognition of their achievements in national championships, inter-university tournaments and junior and senior championships held between April 2023 and March 2025.”
Concluding his address, Governor reiterated that the Punjab Government remains committed to transparent governance, inclusive development and public welfare while working continuously to strengthen healthcare, education, agriculture, infrastructure, industry and citizen services across Punjab to realise the vision of a vibrant and progressive ‘Rangla Punjab’.
