CM Lists Historic Initiatives Taken By State Government For Farmers’ Welfare
State Government Has Taken Unprecedented Steps To Ensure Well Being Of Food Growers Of Country
5 Dariya News
Dirbha (Sangrur) 02-Jul-2016
Listing the major initiatives taken by the SAD-BJP alliance government for welfare of farmers in last more than nine years, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that the state government has taken unprecedented steps to ensure the well being of food growers of the country.Interacting with the media persons on the sidelines of Sangat Darshan program in Dirbha assembly segment here today, the Chief Minister said that in a major pro-farmers decision the state government has framed “The Punjab Settlement of Agricultural Indebtedness Act 2016", which aims to provide a framework for expeditious determination and settlement of non-institutional agricultural debt. He said that as per the provisions of the Act the process of establishing of District Level Agricultural Debt Settlement Forums and a State Level Agricultural Debt Settlement Tribunal was being expedited. Mr. Badal said that this Act would play a pivotal role in alleviating difficulties of farmers in getting their non-institutional debts reconciled and settled.
The Chief Minister said that as far as the debt of banking sector was concerned it was the prerogative of the Union government and the state has hardly any role to play in it. Mr. Badal said that he had always been keen to solve the problems of the farming community and every step has been taken to bail them out. He said that the state government has started first of its kind scheme to provide interest free crop loans worth Rs 50000 to the farmers.The Chief Minister said that the state government was providing free power to farmers worth Rs 5000 crore annually. Reiterating commitment of state government to save every single drop of water, Mr. Badal said that they would not allow the construction of Satluj Yamuna Link canal at any cost. He further said that in another historic decision it has been decided that all the farmers would be provided a health insurance cover of Rs.50,000 and an insurance of Rs.5 lac in case of accidental death or incapacitation of head of family.Highlighting the significance of Sangat Darshan program, the Chief Minister said that it was a flagship program of his government from the first day ever since he assumed the office.
He said that this program finds no parallel across the country as no other Chief Minister bothers to spare so much time for the people by solving their problems at their doorsteps. Mr. Badal said that this program helps in quick resolution of public problems on one hand besides judging the performance of the government officers/ officials on the other.Asked to comment on the proposed visit of Delhi Chief Minister Mr. Arvind Kejriwal in the state, the Chief Minister said that in democracy every party was free to carry on its political activities.The Chief Minister was accompanied by Cabinet Minister Mr. Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sant Balbir Singh Ghunas, former Minister Mr. Gobind Singh Kanjhla, his Special Principal Secretary Dr. S Karunaraju and Deputy Commissioner Mr. Arshdeep Singh Thind.