Announcing a twin policy to effectively tackle the menace of waterlogging in the State, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday said that the State Government would initiate a project worth Rs 3,277 crore within a month to eliminate the waterlogging and a major scheme would be embarked to promote fish farming and eucalyptus planting in waterlogged areas.
Addressing a gathering in various villages during the Sangat Darshan of lambi Assembly segment here, the Chief Minister said that the water logging had caused extensive damage in various parts of the State due to which Punjab Government had prepared a project worth Rs 3,277 crore to tackle this menace. This project would be launched within a month to be completed before the next monsoon season.
He said that a major scheme to plant eucalyptus trees in the waterlogged areas would also be commenced soon. Badal said that his Government would bear the entire expenditure of planting the eucalyptus saplings and maintaining it for a year after which it would be handed over to the farmers. The Chief Minister said that under this project, the farmers would not have to spend even a single penny whereas they would earn huge profits from it. He also suggested the farmers of these areas to adopt fish farming as there was a huge scope for it in this area. Badal added his Government was already giving a slew of incentives to encourage fish farming in the area.
He also announced to start special Sangat Darshan programs for the youth to facilitate them and said Sangat Darshan had always remained an integral part of his governance as it had virtually brought the Government at the doorsteps of the people thereby helping them to solve their long pending problems. Badal said that democratic practice hardly had any parallel in the world.
The Chief Minister added that the State Government had started various skill training centres across Punjab so as to facilitate the youth in getting gainfully employed.
Terming the Food Security Act of the Centre as a carbon copy of SAD-BJP Government’s flagship programme — the Atta-Dal Scheme, the Chief Minister said that survey was being conducted for providing wheat at Rs 1 to all the eligible beneficiaries. He said that currently there were 15 lakh beneficiaries of the Atta-Dal Scheme which would be doubled soon.
later replying to a query, while interacting with the mediapersons, the Chief Minister said that announcement of Congress and Akali Dal (Amritsar) to oppose the visit of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi reflected that both these parties were opposed to democracy. He said that all the arrangements for making the rally a huge success have been accomplished.
Badal said that Punjab would be immensely benefitted from the formation of the NDA Government at the Centre, so the wise voters of the State should bring the NDA to power. The CM added that the basic aim of Progressive Punjab Summit was to boost up more investment in the State, adding that the summit would bring a lot of investment in the State. He said that Punjab had been already rated as one of the top three investment destinations by the Reserve Bank of India.
Reiterating that the State Government would give 50 per cent subsidy to the women dairy farmers for setting up the Dairy units in the State, he said that as the agriculture was no longer a profitable preposition so the farmers must adopt allied farming activities to supplement their income.