Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal.
Sangrur, August 5, 2013: Squarely blaming the Congress for the crisis faced by the Punjabi farmers in Gujarat, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that despite of the fact that the then Congress government had issued a circular regarding it way back in 1973, its leaders were now shamelessly shedding ‘crocodile tears’ on the issue.
Talking to the media persons here after administering oath to the newly elected Sarpanchs and Panchs of Sangrur district there today, the Chief Minister categorically said that ever since the inception Congress have always remained anti-farmers in general and anti-Punjab in particular. He said that in 1973 a Congress government of Gujarat had issued a circular that if any agriculturist from outside Gujarat purchases agricultural land in that state, he was declared a non-agriculturist. Badal said that the decision to freeze agricultural lands of Punjabi farmers was totally based on this circular issued by the Congress government but ironically instead of making any effort to save the farmers of Gujarat, the Congress leadership was making hoarse cry over this matter.
The Chief Minister said that it was on record that only Congress could formulate such anti-farmers laws whereas the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has always fought vehemently for safeguarding the interests of the farmers. Citing the example of Wealth Tax, he said that owing to the crusade of SAD against this barbaric tax imposed by the Congress led UPA government; the Centre was forced to roll it back. He in the context of Gujarat farmers also the SAD would fight the political and legal for preserving the interest of Punjabi farmers of Gujarat from the forefront.
Earlier addressing the mammoth gathering during the function, the Chief Minister slammed the Congress led UPA government for ruing the farmers of the state. He said that the Punjabi farmers through their sheer hard work had played a vanguard role in making the country self reliant in food production but the wrong policies of the centre government have now brought them on crossroads. Mr. Badal said that due to massive hike in agriculture inputs and lack of remunerative MSP, farming was no longer a profitable venture.
The Chief Minister said that though the framers of the state had over exploited their precious resources to feed the nation but the Union government has made them difficult to survive. He said that as now the centre has dragged its feet from purchasing the paddy in future so diversification was the need of the hour. However he said that instead of bailing the farmers out of this mess by crop diversification through a package of Rs 5100 crore as demanded by the state government, the Union government has allocated a minuscule amount of Rs 200 crore, which was a cruel joke with the Punjabi farmers. He said that though on its part the state government was encouraging the farmers to adopt crop diversification but by denying the MSP to Maize and Price support mechanism to Basmati, the Union government was scuttling the efforts of Punjab government.
The Chief Minister further said that the state government was laying special thrust on ensuring clean and green Punjab especially in the rural areas for which a major program has been embarked at cost of Rs 400 crore for cleaning of Ponds in the villages. Likewise he said that keeping in view the health and hygiene of people in the rural areas the state government was mulling to shift the sites of dumping the garbage and cow dung from the interior of the villages to specially earmarked vacant Panchayst lands. Badal said that the decision to this would be taken soon in the upcoming meeting of the Cabinet schedule to take place this week.
The Chief Minister said that in order to provide 70 litres potable drinking waste to every resident of village per day the Government has also initiated a major project under which RO systems were being installed in the villages. Likewise he said that efforts were afoot to provide basic civic amenities to the villages at par with the urban areas. He reiterated that the state government was committed to check the trend of migration of population from the villages to cities.
The Chief Minister also said that special thrust was being laid by the state government to impart world class education to the meritorious rural students. He said that six special schools were being opened across the state at the cost of Rs 150 crore to provide world class education to the bright rural students after matriculation. Likewise he said that the all the students studying in government schools but securing more than 80% marks in matriculation would also be entitled for Dr Hargobind Khurana post matric scholarship scheme under which Rs 30000 per annum would be given to them by the state government.
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Cabinet Ministers Surjit Singh Rakhra, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Babu Parkash Chand Garg, Sant Balbir Singh Ghunas and Farzana Aalam and Chairman Punjab Waqf Board Mohammed Izhar Aalam.