In a bid to save the farmers from sheer exploitation on account of selling of their crops in the open market, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave nod to create a Price Stabilization Fund in the state.Interacting with a delegation of the Bharti Kissan Union, which called on him under the leadership Chairman of Punjab Mandi Board Mr. Ajmer Singh Lakhowal here at Punjab Bhawan this afternoon, the Chief Minister said that this step would result in a self-sustaining mechanism to ensure better remunerative prices to the peasantry for their produce besides offering marketing support to offset the negative impact of marketing forces.Acceding to another demand of the delegation of Bharti Kisan Union, the Chief Minister approved to appoint those farmers and Arthiyas, who were educated and well versed with the ground realities of the peasantry on the state level Agricultural Debt Settlement Tribunal and district level debt settlement forums to ensure fool-proof and efficient implementation of the "The Punjab Settlement of Agricultural Indebtedness 2016".
During the deliberations, the Chief Minister informed the delegation that the state government has already released funds worth Rs 80 crore to ensure free crop loan of farmers upto Rs 50000. He said that the state government was fully sensitised towards the problems being faced by the farmers due to which every effort was being made to bail them out from the current agrarian crisis.The Chief Minister directed the Chairman of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to clear the backlog of general category tube well connections pending since 1992 at the earliest. He also asked the Chairman to immediately release the tube well connections under priority category of 2.5 and five acres. Likewise, Mr. Badal also asked him to issue tube well connections for farmers having land across the border fence on the top priority.The Chief Minister also asked the Additional Chief Secretaries Development and Revenue to seek legal opinion from Legal Remembrance (LR) for making suitable amendments in the Land Tenure Act 1953 for facilitating the farmers to get better prices of their produce. Mr. Badal said that since the current provisions of the act were archaic and needed immediate amendments in the larger interests of the farmers.
The Chief Minister also batted for roping in more NGOs to check the menace of stray cattle in the state. Expressing concern over the heavy toll of human life and substantial loss suffered by the farmers due to this menace, Mr. Badal assured the delegation that the state government was fully committed to control this hazard.The Chief Minister said that the state government was in constant touch with the Government of India (GoI) to impress upon them to overcome certain shortcomings in New Crop Insurance Scheme launched by them to make it a more ‘farmer friendly policy’. Mr. Badal said that the state government has brought all the objections in the notice of GoI and will urge them to amend the scheme so that majority of farmers especially from green revolution states like Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh are benefitted from it” he added.Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to not share even a single drop of water with other states, the Chief Minister said that the state government was making every effort to save the legitimate share of state in river waters. He said that the state government was already pursuing the case effectively in the Apex court and every effort was being made to save the share of river waters of the state.Prominent amongst other present in the meeting included Cabinet Minister Jathedar Tota Singh, Additional Chief Secretaries Mr. NS Kalsi and Mr. KBS Sidhu, Secretary Irrigation Mr. Kahan Singh Pannu, Mandi Board Mr. TPS Sidhu, Member Secretary Punjab Pollution