Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, The Punjab Congress has demanded Rs. 11000 per acre as compensation to the farmers to neutralise the additional cost they had to incur to save their crops from drought and Rs. 25,000 per acre to the farmers whose crops have been damaged due to recent heavy rains.
The resolutions to this effect were adopted at a meeting organised by the kisan and khet mazdoor cell of the party at the Congress Bhawan here today. Those who addressed the meeting included the state party chief Mr Partap Singh Bajwa, kisan cell chairman Mr Inderjit Singh Zira, Sh. Surinder Pal Singh Sibia Ex-MLA, the former MLA Mr Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Smt. Lakhwinder Kaur Garcha General Secretary, PPCC, S. Rajan Bir Singh Genera Secretary, Prof Gurvinder Singh Mamanke, Secretary, Principal Hardeep Singh, Vice President Kisan Cell, Jagtar Singh Rajla, Ex MLA, Chamkaur Singh Dhindsa, President DCC Ferozur and Kulbir Singh Zira Youth Leader.
Mr Zira announced that memorandum containing demands of the kisans and khet mazdoors would be submitted to the respective deputy commissioners all over the state on September 24.
M. Bajwa rapped the Parkash Singh Badal government for shedding crocodile tears for the farmers while doing nothing on the ground. He accused Mr Badal of cheating the farmers by claiming that his government was pro-farmer as in reality, it had proved to be the worst government for the farm sector.
Substantiating his charge, he claimed that during the NDA regime from 1998 to 2004, the minimum support price of paddy was hiked just Rs 60 as compared to Rs. 690 per quintal during the UPA regime from 2004 to 2014. Similarly, the hike in the MSP for wheat during the two regimes over the comparable period was Rs 50 and Rs 645. He alleged the Badal government had also misappropriated the compensation released by the centre for farmers of Punjab. He reminded that in 2008-2009 the UPA Govt. waived of 77000 crore loan of farmer across the country. He said that the Kisan wing would be strengthen down to the village level and new generation of farmer leaders would be groomed.
Mr Khaira said the farm sector in Punjab was under debt of Rs 75000 crore and the government was indifferent which was resulting in increasing incidence of farmers’ suicides. He said the state was drowning in the river of drugs.
In all nine resolutions were passed (attached). It was demanded that MSP of af all crops should be linked with WPI and land rent should be increased to Rs 30,000/- per acres while calculating the input cost of production. The meeting called upon the centre to include basmati for the fixation of MSP and make adequate arrangements for its procurement. It was demanded that entire debt of the farmers and farm workers should be waived and the farmer workers allotted five marla plots each. The farmers should be compensated to neutralise for the hike in diesel prices every month. It was also demanded that problems of farmers having agricultural lands on border areas beyond the barbed wire should be sorted out and duly compensated.
