The Cooperation Minister, Punjab, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa today evening called upon the Union Agriculture Minister Mr. Narinder Tomar at New Delhi and emphatically took up the issues pertaining to the strengthening of Sugarfed sector aimed at the welfare of the sugarcane farmers which would in turn benefit the cooperation and farming sphere of Punjab as a whole.In a press communique here today, an official spokesperson said that S. Randhawa raised the demand regarding computerisation of all the primary agricultural cooperative societies which the Union Minister assured to consider from the next financial year. S. Randhawa also appealed to the Union Minister that giving priority to the sugar sector, special funds should be provided by the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) for the strengthening as well as renovation of the sugar mills of the State.He further said that given the tremendous potential of the sugarcane cultivation in the Doaba region, sugar mills at Gurdaspur, Batala and Jalandhar be upgraded. Special funds be given by the NCDC for research and development of sugarcane cultivation.
Taking up another special issue, S. Randhawa said that Punjab falls in the developed cooperative sectors of the country in the matter of classification done on the basis of all cooperative sector institutions which is why the State gets less subsidy pertaining to the sector. He also said that Cooperative Banks, Milkfed, Markfed institutions are working in an absolutely fine manner which explains why Sugarfed doesn't gets requisite subsidy. The Punjab Minister further added that the Union Government must classify the various sectors of the cooperative sphere separately instead of carrying out the unified classification of the States in terms of the cooperative sector. This would lead to required funds being ensured for the Sugarfed. On this, the Union Minister gave in principle approval and asked S. Randhawa to submit a detailed proposal. The Punjab Minister also took up the issue of paddy straw and put forward the case of managing the same by framing an easy and hassle-free policy. He said that a comprehensive project be set up in Punjab for managing paddy straw and connect the cooperative sector with it thus putting into effect the action plan for tackling the problem of paddy straw burning. Among other dignitaries present on the occasion included MP Dr. Amar Singh and Jasbir Singh Dimpa, MLA Pargat Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Mrs. Kalpana Mittal Baruah, Registrar Cooperative Societies Vikas Garg, MD Sugarfed Puneet Goyal and MD Punjab State Cooperative Bank Limited Dr. S. K. Batish.