Terming the criteria of Union government for fixing the amount of flood relief to the flood affected areas as a complete ‘Sham’, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that the need of the hour was to revise these norms in the larger interest of the people especially those living in flood prone areas. Addressing the gathering here during his whirlwind tour of the flood affected areas in Ferozepur district today, the Chief Minister said that the Union government had fixed the norms irrationally which were too inadequate to compensate anyone affected by floods or any other natural calamity. He said that on the one hand the cost of farming inputs was on all time high and on the other the centre has quantified rate of this compensation merely at Rs 3400 per acre. Mr. Badal said that in view of the substantial loss suffered by the farmers due to recent floods we were ready to help our brethren in this hour of crisis, but our hands were tied up due to stringent norms stipulated by the centre, not allowing us to do so.
The Chief Minister said that it was on record that the Union government was unaware of the ground realities and the policies framed by it, without taking stock of situation at the ground level were absolutely meaningless and out of context. Advocating the need to re-fix these norms, Mr. Badal said that the Union government must keep in mind all factors including the ever escalating cost of farm operations before fixing the amount of compensation. He blamed the Congress led UPA leadership and bureaucracy at Centre, for their blatant insensitivity towards the farming community, who were in no mood to bail out the hapless people even at the time of natural disaster.
Realizing the woes faced by the people in this difficult time, the Chief Minister said that he had already ordered to defer the recovery of crop loans of the Co-operative societies thereby converting the short term crop loans of farmers into medium term crop loans in order to ease out pressure of repayment on them. Mr. Badal said that he had even asked the officers to recover the loans in easy installments to relieve the farmers of enormous financial burden on account of repayment. He said that Punjab being a welfare state, was concerned about safeguarding the interests of the farmers who had made the country self reliant in food production.Making a frontal attack on the Congress led UPA Government for its anti farmer’s stance, the Chief Minister said that the wrong policies and deliberate attempt to marginalize the peasantry in one way or the other has put our agrarian economy on the brink of disaster. He said that due to the sky rocketing cost of farming inputs coupled with non-remunerative MSP, agriculture was no longer a profitable venture. Mr. Badal said that the UPA government has broken the backbone of the farmers which were now reeling under a whopping debt of Rs 32000 crore.
Peeved over the extensive damage caused due to floods in 22 villages along with Dhusi bundh, the Chief Minister said that he had already ordered to immediately conduct special Girdawri for assessing the loss caused to the standing crops besides survey to ascertain the damage caused to house property in these flood ravaged areas. He said that the complete survey regarding the entire loss would be conducted by the Sub pisional Magistrate of the concerned areas so that proper assessment of the entire damage could be done and adequate compensation to the flood affected victims be disbursed accordingly. Later on talking to the media persons, the Chief Minister expressed concern over the intrusion of Chinese forces in Arunachal Pradesh. He said that the UPA government has failed in safeguarding the borders of the country due to which China and Pakistan were regularly violating the border treaties. Mr. Badal said that the Union government was duty bound to take immediate steps for checking the intrusion by these countries but the UPA had miserably failed in fulfilling it.
The Chief Minister also said that the Food Security Act of the Congress was carbon copy of SAD-BJP alliance government, which had given food security to weaker sections of society around six years ago by initiating the Atta-Dal scheme. He reminded the state Congress leadership that initially at the launch of this scheme across the state not only criticized us but also opposed the scheme tooth and nail but ironically today their bosses had replicated the same in the country adding he said our approach was to provide relief to the poorest of the poor to ensure two meals square a day but the Congress was bringing this act solely eyeing on the forthcoming elections.Replying to another query the Chief Minister said that realizing well that Power was the catalyst of growth and development of any state, stupendous efforts have been made by the SAD-BJP government for augmenting power generation in Punjab. He said that with the commissioning of three thermal power plants at Rajpura, Goindwal Sahib and Talwandi Sabo, Punjab would soon become a Power Surplus state.
Earlier, the Chief Minister accompanied by the Cabinet Minister Mr. Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Lok Sabha MP Mr. Sher Singh Ghubaya, MLA Mr. Joginder Singh Jindu, state BJP President Mr. Kamal Sharma, former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr. Sukhpal Singh Nannu, Financial Commissioner Revenue Mr. NS Kang, his Principal Secretary Mr. SK Sandhu and Technical Advisor General BS Dhaliwal visited the flood affected village Gatti Rajuke to take stock of the entire situation. On the occasion the Chief Minister gave a cheque of Rs 1.5 lakh to a bereaved family, who lost their son in the recent floods.