Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Mansa/ Bhatinda/Chandigarh, February 21: The Punjab Congress Legislature Party chief Mr Charanjit Singh Channi today said that the farmers should be subsidized at the rate of Rs 50,000 per farming household. Elaborating the issue he said this subsidy, in lieu of free power, should be transferred directly to their accounts rather than the state government making payment to the power corporation. Today 10,53000 families are being given 5500 core subsidy which if given in cash becomes Rs 50,000/- per annum to every farmer family. It will benefit the farmer more financially and even the MSP rates would be higher than the present. At the same time, he demanded that entire institutional and non-institutional loan of farmers and farm workers be written off by declaring the same as non-performing assets as was being done in case of big industrial sharks.
Channi today visited seven families of the farmers who committed suicides in the last two months of district Mansa covering three assembly constituencies Budhalda, Sardoolgarh and Mansa. He visited the families of late Gurmail Singh and Gurdeep singh in village Bodawal in Budhlada constituency. Then he also went to the families of late Resham Singh of village Khaara in Mansa constiruency, late S Amandeep singh in Sardoolgarh Constituency, late Gurpreet singh of village Bhaini Bhagha in Mansa, late Kala Singh in village Ralla and late Nachattar Singh in village joga both in Mansa.
Mr Channi, listed the benefits of the scheme saying under the present system, the cost of power as input was not being considered by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices while computing minimum support price. Under the given situation, the free power being provided to rum to run tubewells was getting neutralized due to less than proportionate increase in the MSP for various crops.
Channi said the alternative was to provide direct subsidy by transferring it to the accounts of the farmers for which the finer modalities should be worked out. He said the farmers would get benefit at two levels under this system. While they would get direct subsidy, the cost of running tubewell would be included by the CACP while calculating the MSP.
This system would be fine-tuned in consultation with the farmers’ organisations. There are about 10.53 lakh farming households in the state. He referred to the recent study conducted by the Punjabi University, Patiala regarding debt burden on farmers and farm workers in the state. In case of farm workers, the loan is mainly non-institutional.
He referred to the loan of Rs 1.14 lakh crore having been written off by the banks during the last few years by declaring the same as non-performing assets. This was the loan extended by the banks mainly to big businessmen and industrialists who refused to return the same. He said in case the banks could write off such big amounts year after year without raising any hassles, there was no reason as to why the state government could not initiate similar steps as had been done during the UPA regime.
Channi also directly blamed the Badal Government for this agrarian crisis in the state. He said that S Parkash Singh Badal has ruled the state for five times but the rising trend of suicides now is having average of three suicides per day. In 2002 to 2007 the suicides average was 450 per annum which has now risen to 3000 per annum in the last nine years.
Channi was accompanied by S Ajit Inder Singh Mofar MLA Sardoolgarh, S Bikram Mofar president DCC Mansa, S Sher Singh Gagowal, Sat pal Mullewal, Smt Gurpreet kaur Gagowal, Manjit Singh Jalbutti, Sukhdarshan Singh Khara, Gurdeep Singh, Jagseer Singh Jagga, Sita Ram Chunia, Ramesh kumar, Gursant singh and others.
