BATHINDA: Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Wednesday met defence minister Rajnath Singh to request him for building two more Sainik Schools in the state.
Despite maximum military decorations, more than double of the next best state, Punjab has only one Sainik School, which is in Kapurthala, and it wants two more — one in Gurdaspur and the other in Bathinda. Haryana, Bihar, and Maharashtra have two Sainik Schools each, while Uttar Pradesh has three. The defence minister assured Manpreet that he appreciated the role of Sikhs and Punjabis in national security and defence and will consider the proposal.
Manpreet also passed on a letter from chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to Rajnath about how the state government had allocated 40 acres at Dalla Gorian village in Gurdaspur district for one of the required Sainik Schools. If Bathinda also gets one, all three Punjab regions (Doaba, Majha, and Malwa) will have a Sainik School each. The finance minister sought the defence ministry’s clearance for a bus terminus in Bathinda. The proposed site is close to the Bathinda military station, which must have a clear radius of 100 metres. Manpreet told Rajnath that the proposed terminus building will be well below the prescribed height for structures around military bases.
He also invited the defence minister to Punjab War Heroes’ Memorial in Amritsar.
