Punjab Government is planning to set up a Social Security Commission for the farmers and landless labourers to enable them to meet their financial exigencies during their old age.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has asked the Financial Commissioner (Development) to explore the possibility for the same during a meeting with the high-level delegation of Bharti Kisan Union led by its president Balbir Singh Rajewal.
Taking part in the deliberations, Badal asked the FCD to examine the Karnataka model in this regard so as to grant financial assistance to the farmers and landless labourers during the evenings.
“It is our bounden duty to help the hapless farmers and landless labourers by extending this facility so that they could spend their lives, especially the phase of old age with self respect and dignity,” he added. Conceding another demand of the delegation, Badal asked the Principal Secretary Power to immediately clear case regarding expenditure to be finalised for Voluntary Disclosure Scheme (VDS) to enable farmers to enhance their load capacity of AP connections. PSPCl chairman KD Chaudhary informed the Chief Minister that he would implement the VDS scheme from the date of issuance of notification to this effect, and would also get electronic meters installed outside houses of consumers in villages through random checking to their satisfaction.
Badal also asked the PSPCl to chalk out some policy for giving adequate compensation to the farmers, whose land was being wasted for the installation of high tension tower lines.
Acceding to another demand to hold inquiry into complaints of open sale of seeds, pesticides, fertilisers and agro-chemicals meant for distribution to farmers on subsidy in market instead of giving it to genuine beneficiaries, Badal asked the FCD to look into the matter so that erring officials involved in this scandal could be brought to be book.
Chief Minister also desired that to ensure proper distribution of these agricultural inputs to the beneficiaries, Agriculture Department should come out with 24x7 helpline number on which complainants could register their complaints or grievances in this regard besides getting lists of beneficiary farmers pasted at strategic points in villages to arrest this trend of fake disbursement of agricultural inputs.