Harsmirat Badal Assumes Charge Of Office
Akali Dal To Get The Nanavati Commission's Report Implemented
5 Dariya News
New Delhi 27-May-2014
The newly appointed Union Minister for Food Processing Industry Harsimrat Kaur Badal today assumed the charge of her office here in the presence of galaxy of Akali leaders and her supporters. Flanked by Punjab Cabinet Minister Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, veteran Akali leader and MPs Jathedar Ranjit Singh Brahampura, Mr. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Mr. Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra and Mr. Naresh Gujral and General Secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal Mr. Harcharan Bains, Mrs. Badal, while interacting with the media persons said that the days of centre government's discrimination with Punjab have to came to an end with the formation of the NDA government at the centre. She said that Punjab would be immensely benefitted with the development oriented policies of the Modi Government. Referring to the justice eluded to the victims of 1984 Sikh carnage even after passing of three decades, she confidently said that for the first time NDA government under the stewardship of former Prime Minister Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee had constituted Nanavati Commission to investigate the these riots but unfortunately its report was not implemented by the Congress government.
Badal said that Akali Dal would get this report implemented in letter and spirit to bring all those perpetrators of this heinous crime behind the bars.Setting her agenda right, Mrs. Badal said that her principal task was to strengthen the farm economy and dramatically increase the farm incomes through value addition, processing and use high end global marketing techniques for Indian farm produce. She said that as a daughter of Punjab, Food production and processing has been one of the most important areas of interest for her adding that she was grateful to Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, for giving her a chance to look after a ministry which was close to her heart as she belongs to a farmer family. Mrs. Badal also said that the Prime Minister has a very clear vision in which he sees food processing as a major driver of farm Economy and therefore of economy on the whole.
Badal further said that Modi had discussed his expansive plans to focus on value addition of food and agricultural produce adding she said that the scope for starting multinational food chains, especially for Indian ethnic foods like saag, lassi, makki based delicacies like corn flakes and corn stalk as well as other preparations from Punjab that have been huge hits with children and youth across the world. She said that marketing ethnic food especially in time of organic foods could give our farmers huge benefits to basic traditional crops. The Union Minister said that these ideas have been under active consideration of Punjab government too and Punjab farmers being leaders in the country would be its biggest beneficiaries. She also thanked the Almighty, Prime Minister and the people of Punjab for reposing faith in her. Mrs. Badal further said that her mission would be to find new and innovative ways to reduce the post harvest losses by facilitating efficient storage and transportation as well as finding ways to increase the shelf life of food products while at the same time ensuring that these processed food products were available to the consumers across the country at reasonable prices.
The Union Minister said that she would welcome all ideas from farmers, industry, consumers and other stake holders to put the country at par with the top countries in the area of food processing adding that her prime interest remains to increase the income of farmers while at the same time ensuring the prices to remain affordable for all consumers. She bemoaned that though the farmers of this country, especially the farmers of Punjab, have been at the forefront in providing Food Security to the nation but now, their incomes were stagnant. So the need of the hour was to give boost to the income of farmers through innovative value additions to the farm produce, added Mrs. Badal. President of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) Mr. Manjit Singh GK, MLA Mr. Manjinder Singh Sirsa and former Chairman of National Minority Commission Mr. Tarlochan Singh were also present on the occasion. Earlier Secretary Ministry of Food Processing Industry Mr. Siraj Hussain, Additional Secretary Ministry of Food Processing Industry Mr. JP Meena, Joint Secretaries Ministry of Food Processing Industry Mrs. Anuradha Prasad and Dr U Venkateshwarlu and Economic Advisor Mr. G Bhujbal welcomed Mrs. Badal to her office.