Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu on Tuesday said that sanctioning of Rs 75,000 crore over the last 12 years for the development of national highways and railways was a testament to the Centre’s commitment to the development of Punjab.He said the record growth in minimum support price (MSP) procurement by the government, which has increased by 214 per cent, had benefited farmers significantly as the total value of MSP procurement, which stood at Rs 1.06 lakh crore in 2013, had now surged to Rs 3.33 lakh crore.“The establishment of premier institutions such as AIIMS-Bathinda and IIM-Amritsar has further strengthened Punjab’s education and healthcare ecosystem,” he told the Upper House of Parliament. He said the development of new airports, enhanced connectivity and religious and cultural projects such as the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor and Hemkund Sahib Ropeway, had reinforced Punjab’s spiritual heritage and cultural identity on the global stage.“Securing convictions for perpetrators of the 1984 riots further underscores this government’s steadfast commitment to the principle that justice, though it may be delayed, is ultimately delivered,” he added. Citing Punjab’s cooperative institutions like MILKFED and MARKFED as successful models, the MP said with Budget provisions supporting cooperatives, including expanded tax deductions, and exemptions for national cooperative federations had strengthened the cooperative sector.