Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to safeguard the interests of farming community, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today announced to disburse Rs 600 crore as compensation to the farmers affected by 'white fly' attack in the cotton belt of the state.Addressing the gathering during political conference at Chapar Mela here today, the Chief Minister said that he was well aware about the agony faced by the farming community due to whopping loss suffered by them on account of pest attack for which he had asked the officers last midnight to disburse Rs 600 crore so that farmers could be bailed out during this hour of crisis. He said that a gigantic operation would be launched by the state government to distribute this relief amongst the affected farmers. "We are firmly behind the hard working and resilient farmers of the state to help them in this hour of crisis" added Mr. Badal.
The Chief Minister said that it was on record that whenever our farmers had faced any sort of problem the SAD-BJP alliance government has came to their rescue. Citing the examples he said that during the last more than eight years the state government has provided free power to farmers worth Rs 28000 crore otherwise their problems would have accentuated manifold on account of tube well bills. Likewise, Mr. Badal said that when the wheat crop of the farmers was damaged due to untimely rains in April 2015 the state government ensured that every grain was lifted. In the same, he said that the state government took every step to resolve the impending sugarcane crisis by ensuring the payment of arrears to the farmers from private and cooperative sugar mills.
Lashing out at the Congress party for the plight of Farmer's across the country, the Chief Minister said that the successive Congress governments at the centre had broken the backbone of the peasantry. Mr. Badal said that due to the regressive policies of these governments the farmers were reeling under a whopping debt of Rs 32000 crore. He said that the Congress party was not only anti- farmer but it was totally anti-poor and anti-Punjab which has been proved time and again. “They have done nothing tangible to help the farmers but have always shed crocodile tears over their issues” added Mr. Badal.
The Chief Minister said that the Punjabis in general and Sikh community in particular could never forgive the Congress party for its anti-Punjab stance. He said that the Congress has always irrelevantly meddled in the social, economic, political and even the religious affairs of the state. Mr. Badal said that the Sikh community would never pardon the Congress for its sins like Operation Blue Star and 1984 anti-Sikh carnage in which several innocents Sikhs were brutally murdered at the behest of Congress leaders.
The Chief Minister said that the Congress governments at the centre had deliberately denied the state of Punjabi speaking areas, its capital Chandigarh and even its legitimate share in river waters. He said that every Punjabi was very much concerned with these emotive issues of the state, which have been till now hanging in fire due to the discriminatory attitude of the successive Congress governments at the centre. He said that the SAD had always remained a votary of giving the Punjabi speaking areas, legitimate share of river waters and Chandigarh back to Punjab and in future also this struggle would be ever continued.The Chief Minister said that though one year’s period was very less to evaluate the performance of any government but then also Punjab had been immensely benefitted from the NDA’s rule at centre. He said that within a year of the formation of the NDA government at centre the state has got key projects like AIIMS, IIM, Post Graduate Institute of Horticulture Research and HRIDAY status for holy city of Amritsar, which would ensure massive inflow of funds for development of the holy city.Later on interacting with the media persons, the Chief Minister said that the the SAD-BJP alliance was everlasting and firm. He said that alliance with BJP was very strong and Akali Dal could not even think of breaking it. “We are very clear on this issue that Akali Dal will never part ways from BJP at any cost”
Replying to another query, the Chief Minister said that Punjab was not having a single drop of surplus water for any state. He said that there was hardly any question of giving water to some other state to cater its needs.Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Cabinet Minister Mr. Sharanjeet Singh Dhillon, Advisor to Chief Minister Mr. Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, MLAs Mr Manpreet Singh Aiyaali, Mr Darshan Singh Shivalik, Mr SR Kler, Mr Ranjit Singh Dhillon and Mr Iqbal Singh Jhunda, former Ministers Jathedar Hira Singh Gabria and Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, former MLAs Mr Ranjit Singh Talwandi, Mr. Bhag Singh Malla, Mr Jagjiwan Singh Khirnia and Mr Bikram Singh Khalsa, former MP Mr Amrik Singh Aliwal, Chairman Punjab State Subordinate Services Selection Board Jathedar Santa Singh Umedpuri, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Dr S Karunaraju and Deputy Commissioner Mr Rajat Aggarwal.