Allocate 2 days for farm debate: SAD

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 2

The legislative wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today requested Speaker Rana KP Singh to allocate two days for exclusive discussion on emergent issues concerning the farmers even as it demanded the Congress government announce minimum support price (MSP) for vegetables and fruits.

The legislative wing, which handed over a representation in this regard to the Speaker, said the two-day discussion besides covering the issues of the complete farm loan waiver promise, farmer suicides and the Congress government’s failure to take up the issue of repeal of the three agricultural laws with the central government, should also spell out the way forward. The representation said one such way ahead was announcing MSP for all vegetables and fruits immediately. It said this measure would provide much needed security to vegetable and potato growers as well as kinnow growers besides others.

SAD legislators, including Bikram Singh Majithia, NK Sharma, Pawan Tinu, Gurpartap Wadala,Manpreet Ayali, Harinderpal Chandumajra, Dilraj Bhundur, Kanwarjit Barkandi, Baldev Khaira and Sukhwinder Sukhi, said the state was in the midst of an agrarian crisis due the failure of Capt Amarinder Singh to keep his promise to waive all farmer loans, be it from government or private banks, cooperative societies or arhatiyas.

They said the Punjab Government participated in meetings in which the three agricultural ordinances, which later took the shape of laws, were finalized, and amended the Agricultural Produce Marketing Act (APMC) in 2017, months after it came to power. They claimed Punjabis were angry over the government for not defending them against the persecution by the Delhi Police.

The SAD also pointed out that other agricultural issues which needed a resolution including timely release of hundreds of crores owed to sugarcane farmers and ensuring increase of the State Assured Price on the pattern of Haryana and UP.