Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday announced to advance the date of paddy sowing to June 13 — a week ahead against the scheduled date of June 20.
“The farmers will be allowed to sow paddy from June 13,” the Chief Minister announced at a rally in support of Congress candidate from Sri Anandpur Sahib Manish Tewari.
Capt Amarinder also announced that the Electricity Board will pay compensation to those farmers whose crop had been damaged due to electrical sparking from the main lines during the recent unseasonal rains.
Pointing out that a special girdawari was already under way to assess crop damage due to rains, he said that the losses, due to fires caused by any other reasons, will be compensated from his own relief fund. “We will compensate each and every farmer,” he promised.
At the same time, Capt Amarinder reiterated that his government would build a memorial for all Punjabis who had laid down their lives during the independence struggle, many of whom still remained unknown.
On the farners’ issues, he made it clear that his government would not allow any value cut on MSP by the Central Government, and he had already written to the Prime Minister on this issue and would pursue it personally.
Even as he came down heavily on the Centre for failing to support the State Government’s farm debt waiver scheme, the Chief Minister lashed out at the Modi government for diverting four lakh gunny bags (16,000 bales) to Haryana to create problems for Punjab, which was expecting a bumper wheat crop this season.
“They should be ashamed of themselves for penalizing the poor farmers for their political ends,” he declared.