Rural funds: 2 ministers to meet Goyal tomorrow

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 22

In the backdrop of the farmers’ agitation in Delhi over the Central laws, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal has called a meeting with two state Cabinet Ministers on December 24 over the issue of the Centre holding up the state’s rural development fund (RDF) to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore.

The meeting gains significance in the wake of Punjab lodging a protest over the Centre arbitrarily withholding the RDF during this year’s paddy procurement and the Centre drawing flak from farmers for not repealing the laws. State Finance Minister Manpreet Badal and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu will attend the meeting.

Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said the meeting was scheduled after Capt Amarinder Singh took up the matter with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Capt Amarinder, who had met Shah a few weeks ago, is learnt to have also taken up the RDF issue then. An early decision in this regard would enable the state to timely use RDF funds as the extended deadline to use the cash credit limit (CCL) to the state government for paddy procurement is about to expire.

“The state hopes that the Centre takes a favourable decision. The state has put up a strong case in favour of the RDF and its critical link to rural development works in the state. The funds are critical to agriculture marketing infrastructure like construction of roads in rural areas and marketing yards,” sources said.

They pointed out that failure to release the funds would obstruct the development of villages and could further aggravate the angst of the farmers, who were in a prolonged agitation against the Centre.

A favourable decision would also help the NDA government salvage its “anti-Punjab and anti-farmer image”. Earlier, the Chief Minister said the state would submit all utilisation details as sought by the Centre.