Batting for chalking out a concrete action plan to bail out the farmers from current agrarian crisis on one hand and checking the farm suicides on the other, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today urged the Government of India (GoI) to constitute a committee for making agriculture a profitable venture.Interacting with the media persons on the sidelines of a function to observe martyrdom day of Parja Mandal leader Shaheed Bhagat Singh Dhandogal here today, the Chief Minister bemoaned that agriculture was facing an acute crisis and the need of the hour was to save it, so as to ensure that country’s food security was not in peril. He said that the committee should be asked to give its recommendations at the earliest and the Union government must take no time in implementing it. “Agriculture is no longer a profitable venture as its input cost have increased manifold whereas the farmers are not getting remunerative prices of their harvest” added Mr. Badal.
The Chief Minister said that the powers regarding agriculture in the country were in the hands of the centre and the state governments have hardly any role in fixing the prices of crops or that the agriculture inputs. Mr. Badal said that he had been flagging up the issue of agrarian crisis with the past and the current government at the centre with a plea that the formula given by renowned agri-scientist Dr MS Swaminathan, regarding fixation of MSP of crops, must be implemented for the safeguarding the interests of the peasantry. “Any further delay in this regard will prove fatal and the agriculture in the country will be ruined” he added.
The Chief Minister said that it was unfortunate that even after passing of more than 67 years of independence the dreams of the freedom fighters have not been fulfilled yet. He said that it was unfortunate that the countrymen were confronting maladies like Poverty, illiteracy, unemployment corruption and others. Mr. Badal said that the state governments must make concerted efforts to cherish the aspirations of the great freedom fighters in the country. Asked to comment on the statements issued by former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the Chief Minister said that the political leaders must refrain from malicious campaign against each other just for the sake of their vested political interests. Mr. Badal said that throughout his political career spanning over more than six decades he had been a votary of morality in politics. “It is unfortunate that mudslinging against each other has become a fashion in today’s polity, which needs to be avoided” he added.
Earlier addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that it was a matter of great pride for them that 80% of the martyrs of the national freedom struggle belonged to the state adding that the Punjabis had played a vanguard role in emancipating the country from the yoke of foreign imperialism. He said that the Punjabis have inherited the traits of sacrifice and martyrdom from the great Sikh Gurus who have taught them to vehemently raise voice against the oppression, injustice and tyranny. Mr. Badal said that Punjabis have made countless sacrifices during the national freedom struggle and the list of renowned and unsung heroes who played a pivotal role in freedom struggle of the country was very long.
The Chief Minister further said that the state government was duty bound to preserve Punjab’s rich heritage of sacrifice, nationalism and patriotism amongst the coming generations. He said that in order to showcase the immense contribution made by Punjabis in the national freedom, the state government was constructing ‘Jang-e-Azaadi’ Memorial in Kartarpur near Jalandhar, at a cost of Rs 200 crore. Likewise, he said that war heroes memorial was coming up at Amritsar to highlight the enormous contribution of Punjabis in safeguarding the borders from external invasion and internal insurgency.
Reiterating the firm commitment of Punjab government to ensure overall development of the state, the Chief Minister said that due to the concerted efforts of the state government, Punjab was today a power surplus state in the country. Likewise, he said that massive steps have been taken to ensure supply of potable drinking water in the rural areas. In the same manner, Mr. Badal said that crores of rupees were being spent for disposal of waste water and construction of link roads in the villages. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Cabinet Ministers Mr. Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Mr. Surjit Singh Rakhra, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Babu Parkash Chand Garg, MLAs Mr. Iqbal Singh Jhoonda and Mr. Gobind Singh Longowal, his Special Principal Secretary Dr. S Karuna Raju and Deputy Commissioner Mr. AS Thind.