Punjab: Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) MLA from Rajouri Garden in Delhi Manjinder Singh Sirsa hit out at Punjab Health Minister for having attributed the state's drop in NITI Aayog's Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Index by two points to "dieting" and accused him of "mocking poverty" while demanding an explanation from the state government.
"This is an insulting development for Punjab. Punjab is known as the 'Food Bowl' of the country, and NITI Aayog tells us that Punjab ranks 12th (in SDG)...people are dying due to starvation. Instead of taking this seriously, state health minister says it is because people are dieting that such things are happening, " Sirsa told ETV Bharat.
"This is a mockery of the poor and their poverty. This is a very insensitive statement" added the BJP MLA.
Continuing his tirade against the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government in the state, Sirsa said, "It is very unfortunate that Punjab's image has been maligned this way. I condemn the statement made by the government. I hope that the government wakes up from its deep slumber and provides an explanation to the public."
Earlier, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Sidhu had said, "I don't think there is anyone in Punjab who sleeps without having food, anyone who does so is probably trying to lose weight. We, in Punjab, have such a healthy and rich diet, there is no question of anyone sleeping hungry."
As per Niti Aayog's 'SDG Index 2019-20 report' Punjab slipped two points on the SDG India Index and was placed at the 12th rank in 2019 out of 36 states and Union Territories. It has slipped on the goals, including 'Life on Land' (from 67 to 59), 'Peace, Justice and strong institutions' (from 84 to 83).
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The report, which is based on 17 goals covering 100 indicators, showed that the state has done exceptionally well in areas like open-defecation free (ODF), internet subscribers, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and door-to-door waste collection, besides showing improvement in the average annual dropout rate at secondary level, said an official statement.
According to the statement, Punjab ranked 10th with the index score 60 among the states against India's overall score of 57 points in NITI Aayog's first report 'SDG Index India 2018', based on 13 goals covering 62 priority indicators.
