Cong MPS: Give relief directly to farmers
Monday, 06/08/2012
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CHANDIGARH/LUDHIANA: The Punjab Congress on Sunday reiterated its demand for central assistance to drought-hit farmers of the state, adding that the relief money be handed over directly to farmers and not to the SAD-BJP government. In a letter to the PM, the Congress MPs from Punjab stated that the poor monsoon had made farmers spend extra on diesel pumps to irrigate their paddy fields.
In a statement here, Congress spokesperson and Ludhiana MP Manish Tewari said there should not be any cap on the aid, but the FCI must directly disburse it among the farmers. The relief should be given at the time of the kharif procurement season and not as a bonus, he added.
“If the CM is asking for Rs 2,380 crore, we are saying pay more than that, but pay it directly to farmers”, he said.
Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa also reiterated the stand in Ludhiana. He suggested that after the survey for relief fund, the state should give the list of affected farmers to the Centre “so that relief amount can directly be transferred into farmers’ accounts”. Bajwa said party MPs would take up the issue with UPA chief Sonia Gandhi.
