Capt Amarinder asserts FDI in retail will boost agri-economy

Monday, 05/12/2011

http://my.amarindersingh.in/capt-amarinder-asserts-fdi-in-retail-will-boost-agri-economy

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today said that the foreign direct investment in retail will boost the agricultural economy in the state. He said organised multi-brand retail stores are in the interest of both the producers as well as the retailers as also the consumers. At the same time he added, it will not be any threat to the small retailers.

Addressing an impressive public rally here today, Capt Amarinder referred to the potato glut and the problem of the sale of basmati in Punjab. He pointed out if the farmers have the option of selling directly to the retailers it will reach the consumers at a lesser price. He pointed out, while potatoes sell on an average of RS 10 to 12 per kg in the market the farmers get less than a rupee per Kg and the entire profits are pocketed by the middlemen only.

Criticising the Akalis for backing out on FDI, he said they had let the farmers down. He said, in fact the Akalis were never bothered about the farmers’ interests, but were concerned about their own vested interests. He revealed that the Akalis had similarly sabotaged another farmer friendly project, ‘field to fork’ programme initiated during his tenure, just because they thought that with farmers getting benefited they might get inclined towards the Congress. He said Akalis have always kept their own vested interests above the public interest.

Assuring the potato growers that the Congress government will ensure that their crops got properly marketed, he criticized the state government for not stepping in to help the potato growers to market their produce. “It is only the lack of will on part of the government which prevents it from helping the potato growers”, he said.

Referring to the scheme of providing bicycles to school girls, Capt Amarinder revealed that the state government owed RS 11 crores to 2 major cycle companies of Ludhiana from which they had bought 36 thousand bicycles. The companies have been refused payment on the pretext that the government has no money to pay them. “These companies have been bullied into silence”, he said while condemning the government for cheating these companies.

Similarly he added, the state government has yet to pay money to the Mumbai based company which has supplied it the ambulances on which the Chief Minister has put his photographs. He disclosed that the government owed Rs nine crore to that company. He said, this government was trying to survive and struggle on borrowed glory.

Asking the government as from where it will get the money for announcing so many sops for various sections of people, he pointed out, the state did not have money to pay the salaries and arrears to the employees and it was promising more with the obvious intent putting the burden on the next government. He pointed out, the government was not able to pay widow and old age pensions, not even the shagun money and still it was on a spree of announcing sops which was just a farce.

The former Chief Minister ridiculed Mr Badal for laying down the foundation stones at the last leg of his political career. “He is so obsessed about these foundation stones apparently to keep alive his memory that at times he has been laying foundations stones twice for a single project”, he said, while revealing that recently he laid the foundation stone of a bridge in Gurdaspur for the second time, although he had himself laid the foundation stone of the same bridge one and a half year ago.

Addressing the rally, the party incharge for Punjab, Thakur Gulchain Singh Charak, said that the party will soon be coming out with the manifesto in which it will spell out the programme. Having a dig at the Akali-BJP government in the state, he said, it had failed the people’s expectations and they had come to realize that only Congress can provide good governance.

Congratulating the party workers and leaders for organizing massive rally today, he called upon them to maintain utmost discipline. He said, now was the critical phase as just two more months were left for the elections.

The Congress Legislative Party Leader Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal asked the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister as what happened to their promises of making Punjab power surplus. She said, the only thing in which they had achieved the surplus target was accumulating wealth and looting and victimizing their political opponents.

Local MP Vijay Inder Singla said that the state government was surviving on the central government funds and still remained ungrateful by alleging discrimination.

PCC general secretary Arvind Khanna, in his address, thanked the people of Sangrur for reposing faith in the leadership of Capt Amarinder Singh. He promised, once Congress forms the government, entire picture of the district will change.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Arvind Khanna, SS Sibia, Laly Jawandha, Mai Roop Kaur, Subash Grover, Milkiat Singh Birmi, who was the coordinator, Jasbir Singh and others.