Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Kewal Singh Dhillon on Saturday, 6 June met Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda in Chandigarh and pressed for the early operationalisation of the PGI Satellite Centre in Ferozepur, a border district with limited access to tertiary healthcare. Dhillon argued that the facility would serve residents of Ferozepur and its adjoining districts who currently lack quality specialised medical care close to home.

Healthcare Push for the Border Region

Dhillon apprised Nadda of the acute healthcare needs of Punjab's border belt, where geography and infrastructure gaps leave residents dependent on distant referral centres. The proposed PGI Satellite Centre in Ferozepur is positioned as a solution to bridge that gap, extending the reach of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) network into an underserved zone.

The Punjab BJP chief also expressed gratitude to Nadda for the broader strengthening of healthcare infrastructure in the state, specifically crediting the minister's personal interest in establishing the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bathinda, whose foundation stone was laid on 25 November 2016. This comes amid a wider Centre-led push to expand tertiary medical infrastructure across non-metro India.

Dhillon on Party Leadership and Governance Vision

Dhillon, who was recently appointed to lead the BJP in Punjab, thanked Nadda for reposing confidence in him and assured the minister that he would work to strengthen the party across all sections of society in the state. Notably, he said he has installed a portrait of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in his office as a symbol of commitment to principles of justice, inclusiveness, secular governance, and public welfare — values he described as an enduring benchmark for Punjab's future.

Meeting Delhi CM on 1984 Riot Victims' Relief

Separately, Dhillon called on Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at her office and expressed gratitude for her government's decision to simplify eligibility criteria for compassionate government jobs for dependents of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The revised norms reportedly relax the upper age limit and educational requirements, and include a provision allowing a next-generation family member to be nominated where the primary dependent has crossed the age of 50 years.

Dhillon described the move as a significant step toward delivering long-awaited justice and dignity to affected families, and said it reflected the BJP's commitment to addressing historical grievances with sensitivity. The 1984 riot victims' relief has remained a politically sensitive issue in Punjab for decades, and any policy shift on the matter carries weight with the Sikh community across North India.

What Comes Next

No formal timeline was announced for the Ferozepur PGI Satellite Centre following Saturday's meeting. The operationalisation of the facility will likely depend on budgetary allocation and administrative clearances from the Union Health Ministry. Political observers note that with assembly elections in Punjab on the horizon, infrastructure announcements in border districts carry both developmental and electoral significance for the BJP.