Navjot Singh Sidhu bats for 300 units of free electricity, 24-hour power supply in Punjab
Chandigarh, Jul 4: Amid a power crisis in Punjab, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday pitched for providing up to 300 units of free electricity and round-the-clock power supply to consumers in the state.
Sidhu also said that domestic and industrial consumers should be given electricity at cheaper rates.
Punjab already provides 9000 crore subsidy but we must do more for Domestic & Industrial consumer giving power at Rs 3-5 per unit instead of surcharge inflated Rs 10-12 per unit, along 24-hour supply with No Power-Cuts & Free Power (Up to 300 Units).. It is definitely achievable, said Sidhu in a tweet.
Sidhu's tweet came days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal promised 300 units of free electricity for each household and 24-hour power supply if his party AAP comes to power next year.
The cricketer-turned-politician reiterated that faulty power purchase agreements signed during the erstwhile SAD-BJP regime should be nullified through a law.
Let us start with Congress High Command's Pro-People 18 Point Agenda and get rid of the faulty un-negotiable Badal-signed Power Purchase Agreements through New Legislation in Punjab Vidhan Sabha fixing rates as per National Power Exchange with No fixed charges ! said Sidhu in another tweet.
Sidhu had earlier also batted for a law to nullify the power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed during the tenure of the previous SAD-BJP government.
The Amritsar East legislator has been at loggerheads with the Punjab chief minister and has attacked him over a host of issues in the past.
On Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had said his government would soon announce its legal strategy to counter the ill-conceived PPAs during the previous SAD-BJP regime.
Singh had also said these PPAs, which were already under review, had put an atrociously unnecessary financial burden on the state.
Of the 139 PPAs signed during by the erstwhile SAD-BJP government, 17 were enough to cater to the state's full power demand, the CM had said.
The remaining 122 for 1314 MWs of expensive power were inexplicably signed, putting an unnecessary financial burden on the state, he had said.
Before coming to power in 2017, the Congress had promised that it would renegotiate the existing PPAs to ensure low cost power.
Punjab had been reeling under an unprecedented power shortage with urban and rural areas facing long hours of load shedding amid scorching heat.
The State-owned power utility PSPCL on Saturday had said that following the measures taken by the state government, eight-hours of power was being supplied to all agriculture consumers and there were also no scheduled power cuts on domestic, commercial, small and medium supply industrial consumers in the state.
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India eye U17 Women's Asian Cup history in decisive Lebanon clash
Suzhou (China) (PTI): Having lost to two continental heavyweights, India face a must-win game against Lebanon in the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup here on Friday, knowing that victory could seal a first-ever qualification to the knockout stage of the competition.
After losing to Australia (0-2)and Japan (0-3) in Group B, the equation for India has become clear: one final match and one final chance to make the quarter-finals.
India are alive in the race for the knockout stage as one of the two best third-placed teams.
India currently hold a superior goal difference of -5 compared to Group C sides Philippines (-13) and Chinese Taipei (-14), who face each other on the final matchday.
That means either side would require a heavy-margin victory to overtake India’s goal difference if the Young Tigresses defeat Lebanon.
Furthermore, if Thursday evening's Group A fixture between Vietnam and Myanmar ends in a draw or the latter wins by less than three goals, India will confirm their place in the last eight with a victory, irrespective of the Group C result.
For India, playing their first AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup in 21 years, progressing beyond the group stage would mark a historic achievement.
Head coach Pamela Conti expects a very different challenge against Lebanon compared to the previous two matches.
The Italian believes the contest will demand more attacking flair since both teams require a win to qualify.
The West Asians, making their debut in the tournament, opened with a 0-13 loss against Japan, followed by a sensational point in a 1-1 draw with Australia.
"I watched Lebanon's game against Australia that ended 1-1. They are a team at our level, but they have very good attacking players. We need to be careful and not open up too much, because they can hurt us on the counter-attack," said Conti.
Unlike the opening two matches, where India spent large phases defending deep against physically and technically superior opponents, the Young Tigresses now have to play with greater attacking intent.
On Wednesday, the girls had recovery sessions indoors in the gym and the swimming pool. On Thursday, they had a 90-minute official training session involving tactical and set-piece work, and small-sided games.
Conti revealed that the team had long anticipated this decisive final group-stage encounter.
"I expect the girls to continue working hard and giving everything. I trust them a lot. We have prepared for this. We knew our qualification would come down to the match against Lebanon, and now we must give it everything," she said.
The stakes are not lost on the squad.
For a generation returning India to the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup after more than two decades, the possibility of reaching the quarter-finals would represent another milestone in what has already been a landmark year for Indian women's football across senior, U20 and U17 levels.
While the former two could not make the last eight in their respective tournaments earlier this year, the U17 now have the golden opportunity to make it happen.
"If we qualify, it will be an incredible achievement for everyone, and for the country. We are focused on giving that joy to the nation. I hope it happens for the staff, for us, and especially for the players, because they are the protagonists," Conti said.
