Badal hands over wishlist to Jaitley, urges to adopt Swaminathan report’s recommendations
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had a long wishlist for the Union Ministers as he sought a series of concessions for the state. Urging Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to include pro-farmer measures in the Union Budget proposals, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday pressed for introducing Swaminathan report’s recommendations.
Badal urged Jaitley to introduce renowned farm scientist Dr MS Swaminathan’s formula, which provides for cost plus 50 per cent remuneration to the farmers as the basis of fixation of minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural crops, during the process of finalization of union budget for the year 2014-15.
In a letter to Jaitley, Badal impressed upon him to make agriculture far more sustainable besides ensuring no farmer was compelled to either leave this occupation or commit suicide thereby seeking his personal intervention for a slew of pro-farmer measures to be included in the union budget proposals.
Badal pleaded that instead of vying for mere crop diversification, greater stress should be given to agriculture diversification, meaning thereby that allied activities such as dairying, fisheries and other subsidiary occupations should also be included in the agriculture diversification programme for financial assistance.
To remove debt stress and check shameful acts of suicides by farmers, one-time debt relief package should be announced for all farmers. like agriculture, dairy, fisheries and other subsidiary activities should also be given exemption from payment of income tax.
SEEKS ADDITIONAl FUNDS UNDER RWSSS IN ENSUING UNION BUDGET
Badal has urged the Union Minister for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, Nitin Gadkari to provide additional funds to the state in the ensuing Budget under Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) scheme.
In a letter written to Gadkari, he said that necessary action was required to remove miseries of rural habitations in Punjab. He also urged Gadkari to ensure that additional fund is issued immediately after the Budget is passed by Parliament.
Chief Minister informed the Union Minister that a large number of water samples of rural habitations of Punjab have failed the purity test and so it was needed to provide water purification systems to these areas on priority.
He said that state Department of Water Supply and Sanitation has already submitted a proposal of Rs 101.33 crore to the Centre for installing Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification system in 730 habitations across the state.
Badal said that department also needs additional funds to install ROs in remaining 2,094 habitations, where water has been found contaminated with uranium and other heavy metals. He also urged Gadkari to provide funds of nearly Rs 300 crore for these habitations also.
BADAl FOR ENHANCING SUBSIDY ON MICRO IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
In a move aimed towards “judicious use” of water by promoting Micro-Irrigation (MI) system, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal sought personal intervention of Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh for raising subsidy on MI Systems to 80 per cent.
In a letter to Singh, he said that MI systems play a pivotal role in conserving and saving water due to which it was appropriate and necessary that more and more farmers should be provided financial assistance for encouraging them to install these intelligent systems.
Badal urged the Union Minister to advise concerned officers of his Ministry to give consent to state Agriculture Department’s decision to provide 80 per cent subsidy on MI Systems to the farmers of Punjab under RKVY.
CENTRE ENHANCES COAl lINKAGE FOR TAlWANDI SABO, RAJPURA TPP
Central Government has decided to enhance the coal linkage for Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura Thermal Power Plants (TPP) matching with their installed capacities of 1980 mega watt (MW) and 1400 MW respectively, which was pending with the Union Ministry of Coal since April 2011.
Union Minister for Power and Coal Piyush Goyal gave his nod for enhancing the capacity acceding to the demand of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Badal had raised this matter with the top brass of Ministry of Coal a few days back.
In another significant decision, the Union Minister has further agreed to grant two lakh tones of coal per month for Goindwal Sahib TPP, which would enable the state to fully utilize 540 MW capacity of the plant which was lying idle for want of coal.
Goyal has also agreed for ramping up of coal supplies to the state power utility’s (Punjab State Power Corporation limited) own thermal plants by converting one million tons of coal from road mode to rail mode during remaining paddy season from July to September, 2014 at the rate of three rakes per day.
In a letter written to Goyal, Badal also urged the Union Minister that keeping in view the overall national interest, a policy should be framed that minimizes coal transportation costs for states like Punjab that were land-locked and far away from pithead as well. He also emphasized the need for 100 per cent domestic coal linkage for power plants located in Punjab or land-locked states and use of imported coal for coastal states.