An all-party panel, constituted by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to look into increasing incidences of farmers’ suicide, is all set to submit its report the next month, before the ensuing Winter Session.
The five-member Vidhan Sabha Committee, constituted in compliance of the resolution put forward by the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in the June budget session, was asked to meet the family of farmers who had committed suicide to probe the reasons that forced them to take extreme step, and prepare a comprehensive report on the issue.
The panel, headed by Congress MlA from Raja Sansi Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, has come up with slew of suggestions and recommendations to curb disturbing trend of farmers’ suicides, which is continuing even after the Congress Government has notified the loan waiver scheme.
Besides Sarkaria, the Committee also includes Congress MlA from Balluana Nathu Ram, Congress MlA from Fatehgarh Sahib Kuljit Singh Nagra, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MlA from Mansa Najar Singh Manshahaia and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MlA from Sanour Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra as members.
“After meeting the farmers across the state, all the members are of the view that the rising cost of input and diminishing profit margins is the cause of concern for the farmers…For the same, we have asked them to cut down their expenses. One way is to hire the agriculture equipment from cooperative societies which otherwise are very expensive but can be borrowed on subsidised rates,” said Sarkaria.
Sarkaria pointed that the Committee has also asked the state Cooperation Department to provide a robust mechanism to the farmers by upgrading the Cooperative societies and its Agro Centres.
Before preparing the report, the panel has extensively toured the state, met the kin of the farmers who had committed suicide, and farmers’ families.
“We would be submitted our report by next month and would be put before the House in the winter session. The entire House will deliberate upon the findings, suggestions, recommendations made in the report, and together find the workable way-out,” he added.
The Committee has also worked to find out the reasons for poor economic condition of the farm labourers, besides suggesting ways to bail out this downtrodden community from economic crisis.
Capt Amarinder had claimed that more than 6,000 farmers have committed suicide during the erstwhile SAD-BJP Government.