In a bid to ensure seamless sowing of paddy across the state, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday reiterated his government’s firm commitment to provide regular and uninterrupted power supply to the farmers during paddy season from June 14 and June 17.
Pointing out further, Bhagwant Mann said that the state government has taken a conscientious decision to conserve the state’s precious natural resource in terms of groundwater by allowing paddy transplantation in a phased manner across the state from June 10 to June 17.
Resultantly, the Chief Minister said that Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had already been directed to ensure minimum eight hours of power supply to farmers during the ongoing paddy season.
Showing deep concern over the fast depleting ground water level, the Chief Minister urged the farmers to make judicious use of water and at the same time cautioned them to desist the unwarranted practice of reckless wastage of water in the larger public interest especially to secure the future of our generations.
He emphasized the need to make concerted efforts for saving the state’s most valued natural resource water and sought wholehearted support and cooperation from all the stakeholders to conserve it.
Meanwhile, Bhagwant Mann has already given detailed instructions to PSPCL to make sure that the power supply to other categories of consumers especially the households should not be hampered and get regular power supply during the peak summer season.
It may be mentioned that elaborate arrangements has already been made by PSPCL to meet the expected total demand of 15,000 MW which includes farm sector requirement for paddy, for meeting this demand transmission capacity to import from outside state has been enhanced to 8500 MW as against 7100 MW of last season and the remaining power of 6500 MW is being arranged from its sources within the state.
As per the estimates of State Agriculture department, the farmers are likely to sow paddy over an area of nearly 29 lakh hectares, of which high quality basmati variety of Rice is expected to be sown over an area of 6.50 lakh hectares besides other varieties of paddy on remaining area of 22.80 lakh hectares during the current Kharif season.
To ensure smooth irrigation for paddy cultivation in a staggered manner, the Chief Minister said that first phase transplantation in the areas beyond the fence across international border had already been started from June 10, for which regular power supply has been ensured to farmers.
He said that uninterrupted power from June 14 will be ensured in the second phase to 10 districts viz. Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, SBS Nagar, Kapurthala, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Taran Tarn, Rupnagar and SAS Nagar.
Likewise, Bhagwant Mann said that the remaining districts of Bathinda, Barnala, Faridkot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Malerkotla, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Mansa, Moga and Fazilka will also be provided regular power supply for transplantation starting from June 17.