In a big reprieve to the weak and unprivileged sections of the society, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today directed the officers to organize mega camps for distributing the benefits of pension, shagun and Blue cards to the eligible beneficiaries. A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister during a meeting with the delegation of Kisan Sangarsh Committee here at Punjab Bhawan, this morning. Reiterating the welfare of the people, the Chief Minister asked all the Deputy Commissioners to organize such camps to ensure that the benefits of these pro-poor schemes must percolate to the genuine beneficiaries. He said that the main aim of these schemes was to ensure the welfare of these strata of society and no laxity in this regard would be brooked at any cost. Expressing deep concern over cases of farm suicides, the Chief Minister asked the Revenue department to open a special cell to process the cases for disbursing compensation in a fast track mode, to the next of the kin of the farmers who ended their lives in distress Dwelling on another agenda, the Chief Minister asked the officers to explore the possibility of extending the facility of 200 units of free power to landless farmers of the state on the pattern of given to members of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes.
The Chief Minister also asked the officers of PSPCL to expedite the process of providing 24x7 power supply in all Dhanis and Deras of the state. He asked the officers to ensure that work to supply uninterrupted power to all the identified nearly 8100 Deras and Dhanis must be accomplished within next three months.The Chief Minister also assured the delegation that the state government would again impress upon the Government of India to constitute Basmati Trading Corporation on lines of Cotton Corporation of India to safeguard the interests of Basmati cultivators by ensuring a fair price for their produce.Acceding to another demand, the Chief Minister asked the PSPCL authorities to allow the shifting of bore within three acres of farmer’s land at his own expenses.Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included Additional Chief Secretaries Mr. Jagpal Singh Sandhu and Mr. KBS Sidhu, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Secretary Food and Civil Supply Mr. Raj Kamal Chaudhary, Secretary Irrigation Mr. Kahan Singh Pannu, Director Rural Development Mr. GK Singh, Additional Director General of Police Mr. IPS Sahota and Commissioner Agriculture Dr Balwinder Singh Sidhu.The delegation of farmers included President Mr. Satnam Singh, Mr. Shawinder Singh, Mr. Swaran Singh Pandher, Mr. Jasbir Singh, Mr. Sukhwinder Singh, Mr. Gurbachan Singh Chabba, Mr. Gurlal Singh, Mr. Harpreet Singh and Mr. Supreme Singh.