DW BUREAU / CHANDIGARH Senior Congress leader and former minister Rana Gurjeet Singh today urged the Prime Minister Narenra Modi for a special package to save Punjab from bankruptcy. While welcoming the Prime Minister's visit to the state, scheduled for tomorrow, he hoped that Punjab will not be disappointed this time like eight months ago, when he (the PM) unfortunately could not attend the programme in Ferozepur much to the loss of the state. Addressing a press conference here today, Rana said, his party affiliations notwithstanding, he welcomes the Prime Minister into Punjab saying it is indeed an honour for the state as he will obviously announce several projects for the state. Drawing the Prime Minister's attention to precarious fiscal condition of the state, he said it was extremely unstable as the present dispensation was resorting to over-expenditure against massive revenue deficit. "The situation is being pushed to bankruptcy as the fiscal future of the state is very bleak", he said. The Congress leader said, the unemployment rate was increasing day by day and so was the frustration among the youngsters. "The increasing crime, deteriorating law and order and the brain-drain are the root cause of this scourge and it needs to be addressed on an urgent basis", he added. Referring to the plight of the farming community, Rana said, it was quite miserable. "Rather the viability of the entire agriculture sector is at stake as continuously depleting water-table, availability of unchecked spurious seeds and pesticides/insecticides, the high rates of fertilizers etc. are killing the agriculture", he observed. Besides, he added, the livestock of the farmers is also under great challenge. Various diseases transmitted from the animals coming from other states unchecked are adding to the woes of the farmers. The killer lump skin is the latest example, he pointed out. (editor@dailyworld.in)