Punjab CM Channi meets PM Modi, discusses farmers' issues
Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Oct, 2021 10:38 AM
New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed farmers issues. The meeting was held at the Prime Minister's official residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg here.
It is learnt that Channi in his first meeting with the Prime Minister after becoming chief minister of Punjab requested that the Centre take back its decision to postpone paddy procurement by 10 days. The Centre has postponed the procurement of paddy by 10 days due to rain in Punjab and Haryana. Earlier the procurement was supposed to start from October 1 but now it will start from October 11.
"The chief minister has raised the issue of postponement of paddy procurement and requested to withdraw the order and immediately start the procurement," sources said.
The sources said that the Punjab chief minister also discussed issues concerning the development of the state.
It is learnt that Channi discussed the three new farm laws against which farmers have been protesting for almost a year. "Punjab chief minister Channi has requested the Prime Minister to repeal the three new farm laws or find a solution to end the farmers' protest," sources said.
Last month, the Congress high command made Channi the chief minister of Punjab replacing Amarinder Singh. Channi reached the national capital on Friday afternoon around 3 p.m. and later went to meet the Prime Minister.
There is speculation that Channi will meet former Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other senior party leaders before returning to Punjab. Channi is likely to discuss the ongoing crisis in the Punjab Congress unit with the party central leadership after the resignation of Navjot Singh Sidhu from the post of state unit chief. Before coming to the national capital, Channi met Sidhu on Thursday.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) to cancel or revisit all the "one-sided" pacts with private companies that are not contractually obligated to supply sufficient power to meet the state's peak demand during the paddy sowing and summer season.
The new leadership team, led by state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, had called on the Chief Minister and submitted a letter listing out some issues as needing urgent settlement.
The bodies of Khare Besra, 75 and his wife Curki Devi, 70, were recovered from Baragarda jungle of Giridih. The old couple, residents of Kumharlalo panchayat, had gone into the jungle on Saturday but had not returned and other villagers had filed a missing report with police.
Chairing a high-level meeting to review the demands of the striking employees, he expressed concern over their continued agitation, which has severely impacted the functioning of various state government departments.
The opposition has been continuously attacking the government after it told the Parliament on July 20 that states have not reported any death due to oxygen during the second wave.
