Punjab Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Monday said that AAP govenrment would organize fairs of traditional fruits to boost the horticulture in the state.Participating in a Dr. Mahinder Singh Randhawa Mango Mela organised by Punjab Lok Virasat Academy and Babushahi.com at Kala Bagh Bhunga (Hoshiarpur), Dhaliwal said that the government would hold Mango fair at Hoshiarpur, Kinnow and Lychee fairs would be organized at Abohar and Pathankot respecitively.
He said that the state's agriculture sector was in a serious crisis and there was an urgent need to take this profession to get out of it.He said that fruit farming would be encouraged to enhance farmers’ income. He said that orchards were essential to take Punjab out of the vicious circle of wheat-paddy.
Chairman of Punjab Lok Virasat Academy Prof. Gurbhajan Singh Gill said that apart from promoting fruits, the purpose of this fair was to promote traditional folk music of the Punjab among young generations. He said that another aim was to sit together like old times when people used to taste mango by sitting together.
Founder of Babushahi.com Baljit Balli said that Dr. Mahinder Singh Randhawa, the leading personality of Punjab had done a lot of work in the field of horticulture and that is why this mango chup fair was dedicated to him. The organizer of the fair Dr. Avtar Singh Othi thanked all the guests and dignitaries.
Dr. Nirmal Jaura said that this was a unique fair which was being celebrated by the people of Majha, Malwa and Doaba region together.On this occasion, Eminent folk singer Pali Detwalia and Kavishar Navjot Singh Mander and their colleagues enthralled the audience with folk music.
Prominent among present during the event included MLAs Jasvir Singh Raja Gill, Karambir Singh Ghumman, Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Hans, SSP Sartaj Singh Chahal, SDM Harbans Singh, Deputy Director Horticulture Jaswinder Singh, Gurjeet Singh Neela Naloya, Jaskaran Dhanoa, Ranjeet Singh, Dr Guriqbal Singh, Trilochan Lochi, Jagdish Pal Singh Grewal, Advocate Harpreet Singh Sandhu, Jasmer Singh Dhatt, Tarandeep Singh Kinra, Kanwaljeet Singh Kanwal, Kuldeep Singh Bedi, Navdeep Singh Gill, Dilbag Singh Khatrai and Sikander Singh Grewal.