Centre must evolve mechanism for procurement of crops: Punjab CM
Darpan News Desk IANS, 23 Sep, 2022 11:35 AM
Ludhiana, Sep 23 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said the state is fully ready to adopt crop diversification but the Centre must provide an assured mechanism to give remunerative prices for these crops.
"The Centre must take this step for ensuring that farmers of the state shift from water-guzzling crops to less-water consuming crops," he said while addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Kisan Mela at Punjab Agriculture University here.
The Chief Minister said instead of paddy, the farmer of the state is ready to sow sunflower, maize, and pulses but for that they must get adequate and assured price. He said this will help checking the depleting water table in the state, on one hand, and making agriculture a profitable venture on the other.
He said this is the need of hour to avert water crisis in the state.
Mann said the farmers are really worried about the depleting water table and pollution of environment due to paddy straw burning. However, he said they are not able to come out of rut of the wheat-paddy cycle as they don't want to lose assured price mechanism associated with it.
He said Punjab is blessed with fertile land where anything can germinate but efforts must be made to save this fertile land and its water.
Recalling the immense contribution of Punjab in making country self-reliant in foodgrain production, the Chief Minister said the hard working and resilient farmers of the state had provided food security to country in testing times.
He said the Union government imports pulses worth Rs 120 billion annually whereas it is not ready to provide the minimum support price (MSP) to farmers of the state who are ready to cultivate them.
He said in coming days, an important decision will be taken to get rid of the menace of paddy straw burning. Mann said it was duty of Union government to find a solution for it as farmers produce rice for the country.
The Chief Minister also asked PAU to intensify research and bring a new revolution in agriculture through technical interventions.
He said to promote dairy the government is promoting Verka, which is renowned globally, to supplement income of farmers.
Mann also said the thrust is also being laid on proper marketing of Pathankot's litchi and kinnow of Abohar.
A spokesman for the Chief Minister's office said all domestic consumers in the state would be eligible to get zero bills if their consumption is up to 600 units in every billing cycle. This will give a big reprieve to the domestic consumers who have to hitherto shell out huge money every month in the form of power tariff.
On receiving information about the incident, SP City Dinesh Kumar Singh, along with police force, reached the spot. The injured youths were sent to the hospital for treatment and the matter is being investigated.
The Chief Minister said the government is fully sensitive towards checking cross-border infiltration in Punjab. He said Punjab Police is constantly in touch with the Border Security Force (BSF) and other agencies for this purpose.
While briefing the officers, the DGP said the topmost priority of the government, as directed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, is to further strengthen the fight against drugs to make Punjab a drug-free state, besides eliminating the gangster culture, maintaining law and order, and detection of crime.
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced Rs 5 lakh to the next of the kin of the deceased, whereas Rs 15,000 as immediate relief for the injured. He said free treatment would be provided to the injured.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday carried out his first Cabinet expansion by inducting five legislators, including second-time MLA Aman Arora, into his council of ministers. The expansion came in less than four months of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sweeping to victory in the Assembly elections by winning 92 seats of the 117 seats.
