Badals to get full protection over threat perception: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has assured full protection to former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal in view of an increased threat perception.

In Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, police said three men associated with Sikh militant group Khalistan Liberation Front were planning to target Parkash Singh Badal. They were arrested for allegedly looting two police rifles.

Asked if he was aware of recent reports of a heightened threat perception to the Badals, Amarinder Singh said he would ensure that full security is provided to the two leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

The chief minister was interacting with media persons on October 16 after inaugurating a state-of-the-art Vigilance Bhawan, built over an area of 3.25 acres in Mohali's Sector 68 at a cost of Rs 31.29 crore.

In response to a question, Amarinder Singh said he was aware of the FIRs being registered against farmers who were burning paddy stubble in the fields in violation of the National Green Tribunal's guidelines.

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Amarinder Singh said his government is bound to go by the law, even though "I am sympathetic to the problem of farmers".

To a query regarding the separate memorandums submitted by SAD and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders to the Punjab Governor in support of the demands of the agitating teachers, the chief minister said that the government was fully seized of the matter and was trying its best to resolve the issue.

He said that services of nearly 40,000 employees, including teachers, needed to be regularised, which may take some time in view of the fiscal crunch faced by his government.

The government has already given an option to the teachers to continue in the existing pay scale or join at the basic pay of 15,300 for three years before being regularized, Amarinder Singh said.

He pointed out that the pay scale offered by the state government was higher than the current central pay scale of 13,900 and added that it was upto the teachers to take an appropriate call.

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