Thousands of sugarcane growing farmers of Haryana gathered at Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday to express their gratitude towards the Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda for increasing the rates of sugarcane by Rs.45 per quintal (bottom), Hooda being honoured with the Kisan Masiha band by the sugarcane growing farmers of Haryana (top).
Jalandhar/New Delhi, January 16, 2013: Sugarcane growing farmers of Haryana have thanked the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for increasing the sugarcane price by Rs.45 per quintal.
Thousands of sugarcane farmers today gathered at Haryana Bhawan in New Delhi and expresssed their gratitude towards the Chief Minister for increase in sugarcane price.
As mark of respect towards Chief Minister, Hooda, some farmers offered Pagri, some offered sugarcanes, some garlanded him, some offered Saropa and some offered bouquets.
Nafe Singh from Karnal district put a band of Kisan Masiha around his neck. Farmers from Gohana Sugar Mill respected him with big garland. Asandh Sugar Mill farmers offered Pagri. Different Khaps also felicitated Hooda. These farmers had come from different parts of the state, including Panipat, Karnal, Samalkha, Palwal, Kandela and Yamuna Nagar.
Overwhelmed with the honour bestowed on him, Hooda thanked the farmers and said that this capability of taking such decisions has been given to him by the farmers. With your support and blessings of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the Congress government in Haryana has increased the price of sugarcane by Rs.159 per quintal during past over seven years, which is a record, whereas the increase during six years of previous Chautala government, was only Rs. 7 per quintal.
Hooda said that increasing the rate by Rs. 45 per quintal in one stroke is not a small thing. The rate of diesel in Haryana is also less, whereas the price of urea and rate of electricity in Uttar Pradesh is much higher. A number of decisions have been taken in the interest of farmers earlier also by his government, like reducing the interest rate from 11 per cent to 4 per cent on crop loans, waiving off Rs.445 crore of interest on loans of about 4 lakh farmers and abolishing the humiliating terms for farmers on not returning the loan money.
Hooda said that first of all he is son of a farmer. A farmer has to work very hard and you should be proud of being a farmer. His government will always be taking farmer friendly decisions, he said.
Among others, MP Naveen Jindal, CPS Jaiveer Singh, MLAs Anand Singh Dangi, Srikrishan Hooda, Dharam Singh Chhokar, Zile Ram Sharma and Shankutla Khatak, Political Advisor to CM Prof. Virender and Media Advisor Shiv Bhattia, a number of Ex-MLAs, Kisan leaders and large number of sugarcane growing farmers were present.