Bathinda

Terming the day "historic", AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday laid the foundation stone for playgrounds in 3,100 villages in Punjab, claiming that no government since independence has done the same.

Addressing a gathering in Bathinda, Kejriwal said, "It is a historic day as there has never been any government since independence which has constructed playgrounds in villages for its citizens. Playgrounds for volleyball, hockey, cricket and other sports are being constructed in 3100 villages."

"The AAP youth club members will have to oversee the construction of these playgrounds and also ensure the safety of the sports equipment, which will be provided by the state government," he said.

Kejriwal also mentioned the fight against drug abuse in Punjab, promising strict action against drug peddlers and support for rehabilitation.

"We will put all those drug peddlers behind bars who are selling drugs in Punjab," he said.

He appealed to the youth of Punjab to quit drugs and focus on health and sports.

The AAP Chief further mentioned the establishment of de-addiction centres and the provision of 55,000 government jobs to youth, contrasting this with the previous lack of merit-based employment opportunities.

On the issue of Unemployment, Arvind Kejriwal said the Punjab government has created 55,000 government jobs for the people, without accepting any bribes from the aspirants.

"Our government in Punjab has awarded government jobs to young people based on merit," said.

Recently, Amritsar Police arrested four accused and detained a juvenile for pushing consignments across the Indo-Pak border.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said 12 brand-new .30 bore pistols, smuggled via drone, and 1.5 kg of heroin were seized, exposing links to Pakistan-based smugglers and Europe-based handlers.

"The Commissionerate Police Amritsar has achieved a major success under the Chief Minister's zero-tolerance policy against organised crime and drugs. We have arrested four accused; the 5th is a juvenile. They were pushing consignments across the border in the border area. Authorities recovered 12 sophisticated pistols, all brand new with .30 bore, smuggled via drone, along with 1.5 kg of heroin. First, we arrested Jovan, Karandeep, and Ajaypal. After interrogation, five pistols were recovered from them," Bhullar told ANI.

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The Punjab Police Commissioner stated that, following Jovan's interrogation, another suspect, Jaspreet, a resident of Raniya village in Amritsar Rural, was apprehended with a juvenile. During the arrest, authorities recovered seven pistols and 1.5 kg of heroin.