Overview
- Mann said Nitin Gadkari assured nearly ₹400 crore from the Centre’s road fund to revive projects across Punjab.
- The chief minister, who met Gadkari and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi on Wednesday, pressed for clearances to finish stalled works and fix procurement snags before the kharif season.
- Road plans include four-laning of the Bhawanigarh–Kotshamir corridor and upgrades on Barnala–Bajakhana and Malerkotla–Barnala, plus a push to declare the border-belt Ferozepur–Fazilka link a National Highway.
- On seeds, Chouhan agreed to set up a committee to review hybrids blamed for high grain breakage and low head-rice recovery that fail Food Corporation of India norms.
- Mann also sought assured fertiliser supply, support for groundwater conservation, and a wheat seed subsidy, though these pledges require formal approvals before they take effect.