With his Government facing criticism for giving free power to farmers even from his alliance partner BJP, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday defended his Government’s decision while supporting subsidies to farming sector “in a big way”.
For the same, he substantiated his affirmation by citing example of the neighbouring country of Bangladesh which is providing subsidies to farmers for tube-wells, facilitating farmers to open bank accounts, diverting power from urban to rural areas when required among other things.
Addressing the inaugural session of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) workshop in Punjab Vidhan Sabha main hall, Badal maintained that farming sector should be provided subsidies in a big way for producing sufficient food grains to meet country’s requirement.
Highlighting the deplorable plight of the State’s farmers who were burdened with “heavy debt” owing to non-remunerative and diminishing returns, Badal said that farmers should be given more subsidies to bail them out of agrarian crisis.
“If you want sufficient food grain for the country, you have to subsidise farmers in a big way,” said Badal while justifying SAD-BJP led State Government’s decision of giving free power to farm sector.
“Framing is a profession and if you want to keep it alive then you have to subsidise it highly,” he said, adding that media and some other people are criticising us for giving free power.
SAD-led State Government has been facing sharp criticism from several quarters for doling out free power to the tune of `5,000 crore. Besides, all Opposition parties in the State including the Congress, SAD’s alliance partner BJP has also find fault with the SAD’s decision to give power subsidy to those farmers who have large holdings and can afford power bills.
In fact, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had only recently asked the cash-strapped Punjab Government to reconsider rationalising its power subsidy, which was more than the revenue deficit of the State for 2013-14.
Badal, while referring to his conversation with Bangladesh Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhary who was participating in the event as CPA chairperson, said the country like Bangladesh is also giving subsidy on power to its farmers. “What we are doing in Punjab, they are doing in Bangladesh. They do not charge anything for tube-well,” said Badal, as Chaudhary agreed.
Chaudhary, during her address earlier, said: “Bangladesh has attached high priority to agriculture sector, and budget makes provision to provide subsidy to this sector. Power and water are made available to the farmers in times of their need and even in times of crisis of power sharing.”
She maintained that highest priority was given to the farming sector by cutting of power, if required, in the urban areas and diverting it to the rural areas in time and peak hours.
“Farmers are able to open a bank account for about ten taka, and the subsidy they receive from the Central Government is channeled through these bank accounts that they hold,” she added.
Finding fault with the current formula fixed for fixing food grain MSP, Badal described it as “very defective”. “This formula can be changed only by pressure of all MPs,” he said, adding that farmers should get assured income for sowing crops.
Badal also mooted a proposal to form a working group of members of Commonwealth nations with a permanent headquarters in the State to create a mechanism for the exchange of ideas, experiences and future strategies.
Quality of foodgrains over quantity
The countries under Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) on Wednesday expressed their concern over declining quality while giving priority to quantity. The delegates participating in the conference are of the view that to produce more and more, we are making the food grains “unhealthy and fatal”.
The views were expressed during the inaugural session of the three-day CPA’s agricultural workshop for Chairpersons and members of Parliamentary Agriculture Committees for India, Asia and South East Asia Regions being held in Chandigarh.
lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, presiding over the function, questioned the delegates from various countries whether “We want quality or quantity”.
Mahajan said: “We are using fertiliser for more yield…for last so many years…and we know what we want…every time I ask question from my farmer also, what we want quality or quantity…that is the question actually.”
Pointing that the “Malwai Gaihun” — a special type of wheat found in Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh — has diminished over the period of time by using excessive fertilisers, Mahajan rued, “We are gong behind the yield…and that’s why we have to think about it…whether we are ready or going to make some policies” for the same.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, earlier in his address, also pointed how the excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers has deteriorated the spoil health and created a scarcity of drinking water across the State. “If these critical situations prevailed in future, public war could be erupted due to scarcity of water after next few years,” he said.
“I remember the days when I often used to go to my farms. At that time, there were lots of birds and animals. These days, all of them disappeared as they were get killed by excessive use of pesticides and insecticides,” said Sukhbir.
CPA SEEKS SUPPORTIVE POlICY FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINED AGRICUlTURAl GROWTH
Giving a call to all participating countries for supportive policy framework for sustained agriculture growth, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association impressed for collective efforts to implement comprehensive policies in support of farmers.
“For Asian countries, agriculture could act as a catalyst of growth and poverty reduction,” said Tony Worthington of University of Greenwich (UK) while speaking on the role of parliamentary agricultural committees (PAC’s) in Asia region. Opposing the policy statement of G-20 focussing on capacity strengthening of institutions, Worthington said that unless and until we do not work on grass-root individual extension work no permanent solution for growth was possible.
Describing agriculture as engine of growth for Commonwealth countries he said that agriculture was the most labour intensive profession for Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri lanka, Maldives, Malaysia and it was imperative to focus on this sector to tackle the growing pangs of unemployment.
He said that half the labour force of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and over 60 per cent population of India was engaged in agriculture sector and Commonwealth countries have to focus on increasing agricultural productivity to keep pace with increasing population growth in this sub-continent.
CPA MEET FOCUSES ON WOMEN lAND RIGHTS
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association workshop of agriculture committees called upon policy makers of legislative bodies to bring out necessary legislative changes to give more land rights to women of Commonwealth countries.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research director Dr Neelam Grewal, while speaking in a session on women in agriculture, said that it was matter of great worry that with increasing share of women in agriculture workforce, there has been corresponding increase in gender inequality.
“As compared to 65 per cent of total women workforce working in agriculture sector, 36 per cent are cultivators whereas 46.27 per cent are languishing as agricultural labourers,” she said.
Emphasising on empowering women in agriculture sector, she said that land holding of women was negligible and financially unviable.
“The State of women in agriculture sector could be gauged from the date that shows that 50 per cent of women have only land holding of half hectare whereas only 0.05 per cent women are having land holding more than 20 hectares,” she said.