Doctors from Punjab’s two districts with lowest literacy rate make it to Mann’s cabinet

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Two doctors from Punjab’ two districts with the lowest literacy rate — Mansa and Muktsar — have been inducted into chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s cabinet.

According to the 2011 census, Mansa and Muktsar had recorded literacy rate of 62.8% and 66.8%, respectively, against the state average of 76.7%.

Mansa MLA Dr Vijay Singla and Malout MLA Dr Baljit Kaur, who is the daughter of former Faridkot MP Sadhu Singh, on Saturday sworn in as the cabinet ministers in the Punjab government.

Both of them during their election campaigns had promised to make Mansa and Muktsar vibrant districts with better educational avenues and improved employment opportunities. Now, their elevation as cabinet ministers has raised the hopes of people further.

A 52-year-old dentist, Dr Singla trounced Congress’ Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu — a popular Punjabi singer who with millions of fans — by a margin of 63,323 votes.

Dr Singla holds a bachelor’ degree in dentistry and surgery (BDS) and is in private practice. The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) wave was so strong in the state that the star factor of Moosewala did not work at all in Mansa, which chose Dr Singla over the popular singer who had joined the Congress in November 2021.

In 2017 as well, Mansa had elected an AAP MLA, Nazar Singh Manshahia, but he had defected to the Congress in April 2019 during the Lok Sabha election campaign. However, even this factor did not go against the AAP candidate.

Dr Baljit, 46, who is the only woman in the state cabinet at present, won from the Malout assembly segment in Muktsar district, which has a 60% female literacy rate — the second-lowest after Mansa with 56.4%.

She took premature retirement from a Punjab government job in November 2021 to contest her maiden election wherein she defeated Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD’s) former MLA Harpreet Singh with a margin of 40,621 votes. Dr Baljit has expressed concerns about the health services and started visiting hospitals soon after winning the elections.

Bathinda left without representation

The AAP has shifted power from Bathinda district, which continuously had two cabinet ministers in the last decade, leaving it with no representation in the first list of cabinet ministers.

Baljinder Kaur, who won from Talwandi Sabo for the second time and Jagroop Singh Gill, who defeated former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal from Bathinda Urban by 63,581 votes, could not make it to the first list of cabinet ministers.

During the previous Congress government, the district had two cabinet ministers — Manpreet Singh Badal and Gurpreet Singh Kangar from Rampura Phul.

However, Kangar was removed in 2021. During SAD’s tenure from 2012-2017, Sikander Singh Maluka and Janmeja Singh Sekhon had served as cabinet ministers from the district.


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