Punjab Government is all set to table the much-awaited comprehensive Agricultural Policy for the state’s beleaguered farming community in the next session of the Vidhan Sabha.
Announcing a series of measures for the welfare of the farming community, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder also directed the authorities concerned to settle all farmer suicide families’ claims on monthly basis, while assuring the farmers that the government has no plans to install water meters on tube-wells.
The announcements came during a high-level meetings convened by the Chief Minister with various farmer unions and their representatives from the state.
Capt Amarinder directed the settlement of claims of farmer suicide affected families within a month, with instructions to all DCs to hold a meeting on the fifth of every month to resolve such cases.
The government has also decided to reimburse complete expenses of the farmer activist who was hospitalised during the recent farmer protest in Patiala, said an official spokesperson.
Reassuring them that his government had no plans to install water meters on tube-wells, Capt Amarinder directed the concerned departments to take up installation of pending tube-well connections on priority.
He ordered the officials to look into all concerns of the farming community with sympathy and ensure that their problems are resolved at the earliest.
The farmer representatives raised with the Chief Minister issues relating to farm debt waiver, stubble burning, interest imposed by arhtiyas on loans and excess loans given by the banks, among others.
Responding to a demand by the farmer union on installation of tube-well connections, the Power Secretary A Venu Prasad said that all pending cases would be taken up on priority and the necessary notification would be issued within a week. He categorically denied any proposal to install electricity meters.
The Chief Minister said that meters were being put on some pumps on the directions of the state electricity regulatory commission only to assess the quantum of usage to enable payment of subsidy to the powercoms.
He also cautioned the farmers against excessive use of water, urging them to preserve the precious commodity for the future generations. He exhorted the farmers to go for crop diversification saying that he would seek central government support in this regard.
Capt Amarinder assured the unions that he would take up with the central government the issue of abolition of Kurki by nationalised banks, as the state government had no jurisdiction over them. It was pointed out that kurki by cooperative banks had already been done away with by the state government, in line with the Congress manifesto promise.
Responding to a demand for complete farm loan waiver, the unions were informed that the loan settlement policy approved by the previous government was being reviewed.
The Chief Minister said that given the financial constraints being faced by his government, it had not been possible to waive off all loans in one go and it had been decided to first settle the loans of the small and marginal farmers, who constituted a large majority of the state’s total farming community. He agreed with the unions on the need to implement the Swaminathan Committee report on MSP saying that he would pursue the matter again with the central government.
Expressing serious concern on the problem of stubble burning, for which he has already ruled out penalisation of the farmers, the Chief Minister said that while his government was exploring alternatives, he was also aggressively following up with the Centre for award of compensation for paddy residue management.
Farm unions also raised the issue of penalties and FIRs against farmers over non-payment of electricity bills.
While the Power Secretary pointed out that the penalties were being charged only in accordance with the provisions of the regulatory authority, the Chief Minister directed the department to issue instructions so that the aggrieved farmers could meet the SDM or the DC directly, without requiring alawyer’s intervention.