Seeing the financial crisis looming large on Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek an immediate release of Cash Credit limit (CCl) of Rs 20,094 crore to enable the State Government to make timely payment to the farmers for wheat procurement.
The meeting, which lasted nearly 20 minutes, was fruitful, said Chief Minister’s Adviser on National Affairs Harcharan Bains. He said the Prime Minister has assured Badal of positive action saying that he would get this issue resolved on priority.
Bains said that the Chief Minister apprised Modi that inordinate delay in CCl clearance will jeopardise the ongoing procurement operations. “This, he said, could lead to disaffection in the farming community which might lead to law and order complications,” Bain added.
Badal also told the Prime Minister that the farming community in Punjab is passing through severe crisis due to high costs of agriculture inputs as against non-remunerative minimum support price (MSP), he said.
“For more than half a century, the brave and patriotic peasantry answered every distress call of the nation and always took pride in sacrificing everything including the priceless natural resources - soil fertility and water,” he said.
“Now, it is repayment time for the country. For the first time, the farmer needs his country to stand by him in his hour of extreme adversity and distress. The Government must come to his rescue and repay a part of the debt which we always owe him,” Badal said.