DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Giving major relief to flood affected people of Fazilka district, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today ordered immediate release of Rs 32 crore against the compensation pending for the year 2020 due to floods in district of the state. A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister in a meeting held here at his office with the MLAs of the Fazilka district. During the meeting, the Chief Minister bemoaned that it is unfortunate that the flood fury had created whopping loss in the Fazilka district in 2020 but except lip service the then government had done nothing to give relief to people. He said that floods had caused major damage in Abohar, Arniwala and Jalalabad blocks of the district. Bhagwant Mann said that out of total Rs 32 crore, damage worth Rs 28 crore was done to the crops whereas the remaining Rs 4 crore loss was done to the other houses and other establishments. The Chief Minister said that instead of extending a helping hand to flood effected people the then state government had been dilly delaying the matter to further aggrieve the situation of the people in distress. He asserted that the apathetic attitude of the then government was visible from the fact that not even a single penny was given as compensation to the people. Bhagwant Mann unequivocally said that however the Aam Aadmi government which is concerned for the well being of people will leave no stone unturned for this noble cause. The Chief Minister immediately ordered the Revenue department to complete the formalities for early disbursement of the compensation to people. He said that the compensation should be distributed to people without any further inordinate delay. Bhagwant Mann categorically said that any sort of laxity in completing this work in a time bound manner will not be tolerated. Meanwhile, MLAs from Fazilka Narinder Pal Singh, Amandeep Singh and Jagdeep Kamboj thanked the Chief Minister for this decision. They said that Chief Minister had giving a major relief to people of Fazilka for which they will ever remain indebted to him. The MLAs also hailed the pro-people and development oriented initiatives being taken by the Chief Minister. CM PATS THE BACK OF OFFICIALS FOR EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT Adding another feather in its cap, the two districts Malerkotla and Faridkot of Punjab, have scripted history to secure a place in certified pan India list by Government of India (GoI) to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to every rural home under 'Jal Jeevan Mission-Har Ghar Jal'. Extending the words of appreciation and congratulating the officials, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that total eight districts have been certified throughout the country by GOI for 100% population covered with piped water supply and Malerkotla & Faridkot secured the place among these distinctive districts. He informed that it is a matter of immense pride for Punjab as two of our districts have been chosen for this rare distinction adding that in coming days four more districts are likely to get this certification. Bhagwant Mann further added that Malerkotla, who have a total rural population of 2.58 lakh, has covered 49881 rural households with piped drinking water, while Faridkot with the total rural population of 4.09 lakh has covered 78408 rural households with safe drinking water. The Chief Minister said that the state already provided piped water to 34.24 lakh rural households under 'Jal Jeevan Mission' and a total 11933 villages and twenty districts have been covered with 100% piped water supply. Bhagwant Mann envisioned that we have set the target to cover 100% area of Punjab up to December 2022 against the national target of 2024. Bhagwant Mann also informed that the state government has already provided tap connections to Aanganwadi Centres, Panchayats, Dispensaries, and Schools. (editor@dailyworld.in)