Agri policy to be tabled in House session

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 16

The state government will table the comprehensive agricultural policy in the next Assembly session.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh met representatives of farmer unions in this context here today.

Henceforth, claims of farmer suicide-affected families will be settled by the DCs concerned by the 5th of every month. The state will also pay medical bills of activists hospitalised during the recent farmer protest in Patiala.

The Chief Minister directed providing pending tubewell connections on priority basis. Meters were being installed at some pumps on the directions of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission purely to assess the quantum of usage to enable payment of subsidy to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited, he clarified.

Amarinder assured farmers that issues relating to farm-debt waiver, stubble-burning, interest imposed by arhtiyas and excess loans given by banks would be resolved.

The Chief Minister urged the farmers to avoid excessive use of water and go in for crop diversification.

On the issue of “kurki” abolition by nationalised banks, he said the state had no jurisdiction over them. However, it had been stopped by the state cooperative banks.

Ruling out penalisation of farmers burning stubble and compensation in lieu of it, the CM said he was pursuing the matter with the Centre.

On jobs to kin of farmers who committed suicide, he said those not already employed would be inducted under the Ghar Ghar Naukri programme.

When the unions raised the issue of penalties and FIRs against farmers over non-payment of electricity bills, he said the farmers could meet the SDMs or DCs without a lawyer.

The Chief Principal Secretary assured that Rs71-crore sugarcane dues would be cleared soon.