Batting for chalking out a concrete action plan to bail out the farmers from current agrarian crisis on one hand and checking the farmers’ suicides on the other, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday urged the Central Government to constitute a committee for making agriculture a profitable venture.
Badal said that the committee should be asked to give its recommendations at the earliest and the Central Government must take no time in implementing it.
Interacting with the mediapersons on the sidelines of a function to observe martyrdom day of Parja Mandal leader Shaheed Bhagat Singh Dhandogal here, the Chief Minister bemoaned that agriculture was facing an acute crisis and the need of the hour was to save it, so as to ensure that country’s food security was not in peril.
“Agriculture is no longer a profitable venture as its input cost have increased manifold whereas the farmers are not getting remunerative prices of their harvest,” Badal added.
The Chief Minister said that the powers regarding agriculture in the country were in the hands of the Centre and the State Governments have hardly any role in fixing the prices of crops or that the agriculture inputs.
Badal said that he had been flagging up the issue of agrarian crisis with the past and the current Government at the Centre with a plea that the formula given by renowned agri-scientist Dr MS Swaminathan, regarding fixation of MSP of crops, must be implemented for safeguarding the interests of the peasantry.
“Any further delay in this regard will prove fatal and the agriculture in the country will be ruined,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that it was unfortunate that even after passing of more than 67 years of Independence, the dreams of the freedom fighters have not been fulfilled yet. He said that it was unfortunate that the countrymen were confronting maladies like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment corruption and others.
Badal added that the State Governments must make concerted efforts to cherish the aspirations of the great freedom fighters in the country.
Asked to comment on the statements issued by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, the Chief Minister said that the political leaders must refrain from malicious campaign against each other just for the sake of their vested political interests.
Badal said that throughout his political career spanning over more than six decades he had been a votary of morality in politics. “It is unfortunate that mudslinging against each other has become a fashion in today’s polity, which needs to be avoided” he added.
Earlier addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that it was a matter of great pride for them that 80% of the martyrs of the national freedom struggle belonged to the state adding that the Punjabis had played a vanguard role in emancipating the country from the yoke of foreign imperialism. He said that the Punjabis have inherited the traits of sacrifice and martyrdom from the great Sikh Gurus who have taught them to vehemently raise voice against the oppression, injustice and tyranny.
Badal added that in order to showcase the immense contribution made by Punjabis in the national freedom, the State Government is constructing ‘Jang-e-Azaadi’ Memorial in Kartarpur near Jalandhar, at a cost of `200 crore. likewise, he said that war heroes memorial is coming up at Amritsar to highlight the enormous contribution of Punjabis in safeguarding the borders from external invasion and internal insurgency.
Reiterating the commitment of Punjab government to ensure overall development of the state, the Chief Minister said that due to the concerted efforts, Punjab is today a power surplus state in the country.