Strongly contending to make agriculture occupation far more profitable and economically viable, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today urged the Prime Minister to immediately implement the Swaminathan formula for determining the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of the crops. Badal called on the Prime Minister here at his official residence 7-RCR this morning.Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that Badal pleaded for MSP to be fixed according to the guidelines stipulated by eminent agriculture economist Dr. MS Swaminathan thus allowing the farmers to get MSP which should cover production costs plus 50% as profit and hoped it would help to bail out the distressed peasantry from the current agrarian crisis. Batting for diversification as one of the ways to help the beleaguered farmers of the state, the Chief Minister said that the central agency-Food Corporation of India (FCI) should procure maize and sunflower on the pattern of wheat and paddy at MSP.
Flagging up another issue to convert Crop Diversification program to Agriculture Diversification, the Chief Minister impressed upon Mr. Modi that the states should be allowed to implement Agriculture Diversification program realizing the ground realities and local needs. Mr. Badal also requested him to strengthen and expand this program to cover not only crop diversification but also allied and subsidiary occupations such as Dairy, Fisheries, Piggery, Fruit & Vegetables cultivation & processing and Bee-keeping.To ensure overall development and prosperity in the Livestock Sector across the state, the Chief Minister requested Mr. Modi to declare Animal Husbandry and allied agriculture activities like dairy, piggery, goatry, fishery, bee keeping etc. at par with agriculture for exemption of income tax, interest rate etc. Likewise, he also demanded exemption from the custom duty on the import of machinery for dairy farming and livestock rearing.
Asking Mr. Modi to restore refinance by NABARD to Cooperative Banks, which has now been reduced from Rs. 6300 crore in 2014-15 to Rs. 4600 crore during the current fiscal, the Chief Minister requested him to immediately enhance the refinance to Rs. 7000 crore.Seeking his personal intervention to ensure level playing field to the state industry in doll drums, the Chief Minister impressed upon the Mr. Modi to grant similar concessions to Punjab on the lines of already extended to the neighborly states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand. He apprised the Prime Minister that the industry in the state was now passing thorough severe crisis which led to its mass exodus and flight of investment from Punjab. All this had adversely affected the industrial atmosphere in the state forcing the local industrialists to even undertake expansion of their existing units in these states. He said, “This situation is alike double jeopardy for Punjab as its trade and industry suffered a major blow earlier too due to over decade long militancy in the state.River water being the lifeline of the farmers in the state, Mr. Badal sought personal intervention of Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), GoI for early clearance of various irrigation projects stuck up at different stages in the Ministry worth Rs. 4418 crore including extension, renovation and modernization of canal fed by River Satluj, rehabilitation of UBDC system and re-lining of Rajasthan and Sirhind feeders.
Mr. Badal requested the Prime Minister to immediately sanction and release special funds amounting to Rs. 918 crore for extension, renovation and modernization of canals from the River Satluj. He also informed Mr. Modi that the total cost of this project was originally estimated at Rs. 734 crore and accorded investment clearance by the then Planning Commission of India (PCI) in February, 2011 but its execution could not be commenced due to non-release of funds under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP). Thereafter, the revised project involving a cost of Rs. 918 crore has been appraised by Central Water Commission and the requisite financial concurrence has already been given by the State Government.The Chief Minister also sought special sanction of funds to the tune of Rs. 1375 crore for rejuvenation of the Uppar Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) passing through the districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur as it was the oldest canal system completed by the British Government in 1889. With the passage of time, the UBDC system has been dilapidated and was working only at 63% efficiency.
Likewise, Mr. Badal also impressed upon the Prime Minister to get the project for re-lining of Rajasthan and Sirhind feeders worth Rs. 2125 crore cleared from the MoWR, GoI at the earliest. The original cost of the project was Rs. 1440 crore and was duly approved by the MoWR in 2009. Subsequently, the cost of the project had now been escalated to Rs. 2125 crore and was at the stage of appraisal from CWC.Mr. Badal also raised the issue for seeking relaxation in the guidelines to enhance the cost norms from Rs. 25,050 to Rs. 40,000 per hectare in case of brick lining of field channels. He informed the Prime Minister that as per the existing GoI guidelines, there was a cap on expenditure of Rs. 25,050 per hectare considering the water channel of one cusec whereas the water channels in Punjab were of 2.5 cusec capacity.
Seeking reimbursement of Rs. 2694 crore already paid out of special term loan of Rs. 5800 crore advanced to Punjab for combating insurgency during the period of militancy from 1980-95 prior to the loan waiver by the GoI, the Chief Minister requested Mr. Modi to immediately announce a special grant to the extent of Rs. 2694 crore in lieu of its repayment. It may be recalled that out of the special term loan amounting to Rs. 5800 crore given by the GoI, Rs. 5029 crore as outstanding amount was waived by the Centre. The state government had already paid amount to the tune of Rs. 2694 crore before loan waiver including Rs. 771 crore as principal and Rs. 1923 crore towards interests.
Similarly, the Chief Minister also sought the waiver of expenditure to the tune of Rs. 298 crore incurred on the Para-military forces during militancy as Punjab fought the nation’s war to defend its integrity and sovereignty. The Chief Minister also urged the Prime Minister to immediately start operation of International flights along with the inauguration of the International Airport at SAS Nagar (Mohali).On the issue of modernization of Police, the Chief Minister urged Mr. Modi for formulation of special scheme or announcing one time grant to modernize the state police as it was of utmost importance to counter cross border terrorism and insurgency especially in the wake of recent challenge posed by some anti-national and inimical forces from across the border. He mentioned that Ministry of Home Affairs had discontinued the scheme for modernization of state police force from the fiscal 2015-16. Assuring Mr. Badal of positive outcome during the deliberations, the Prime Minister told the Chief Minister that he would soon get all the issues resolved on priority.The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Principal Secretary Mr. SK Sandhu.