Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Singh Badal today demanded immediate relief to the farmers and relaxation in specifications for procurement of wheat in the state.
“The continuously bad weather has damaged the crops across the state. The quality of wheat grain has been affected which can’t pass the given specifications. The potato farmers too have been severely hit. The state government must come to their succour immediately without waiting for the release of relief the centre. The specifications for wheat must be relaxed”, he said.
He referred to the announcement made by the Haryana government to procure wheat with shrivelled and broken grain even upto 6 per cent at the minimum support price and regretted that the Punjab government was yet to make any such initiative. It is the state government that would pay the difference between the actual and the procurement price. Wheat had already started reaching the mandis but it was failing specifications and hence the farmers were in a precarious situation. Moreover, even the announcement made by Haryana would not be of that much help to the farmers as the damage seemed to be on the higher side.
He said the tragedy was getting compounded with each passing day as the weather conditions had not improved to the extent needed during this time of the year. This had already delayed procurement operations. The moisture content continued to be higher due to virtually incessant rains. The situation would adversely affect the agrarian economy.
He said on the land acquisition bill, the ruling Akali Dal had already ditched the farmers and changed its stance within 24 hours after announcing its decision to oppose it in the Lok Sabha. The irony was that the party still continued to claim itself as the champion of the farmers. Here was a chance for the ruling party to prove its credentials and announce immediate relief from its own kitty. In this context, he pointed out that the states like Madhya Pradesh had been announcing bonus over and above the procurement price at their own. There was no reason why the Punjab government could not do so, he added.
