Punjab overlooks the agri sector in budget-14, MLA raises question
Tuesday, 22/07/2014
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Kapurthala : SAD-BJP led Punjab government totally overlooked the agriculture in the recent budget presented by Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa ,stated MLA, Kapurthala Rana Gurjit Singh.
Now Badals started diversifying other business rather to lay stress on the diversification of agriculture in agrarian state of Punjab he added.
Speaking on behalf of his party in Vidhan Sabha on budget-2014 on Friday, Rana Gurjit pointing at Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “since now you have other business interests , therefore, you do not pay attention to agriculture.”
He said despite Central government having fixed the MSP for maize at Rs 1,300 per quintal , but farmers going for distress sale for as low as Rs 1,000 per quintal and asked the government to compensate the losses to these maize growers.
To ensure the market for the crop of cane grower, government should come forward to revive the state owned sugar mills roared Rana Gurjit and if state is not in a position to revive the sugar mills then it should lease these out, he added.
In his special mention about basmati 1121 variety which has been planted in a vast area after government encouraged the farmers to do so and he now wanted it to ensure that the MSP is fixed for it so that basmati growers will not have to go for distress sale as the production is expected to increase , he questioned.
Demanding reduction in the VAT and marketing tax on diesel, he pointed out due to the severe power shortage , the farmers were using diesel motors to irrigate their fields thus multiplying their input costs, he disclosed that an average farmer were paying about Rs 8,500 per acre as taxes to the government in various forms and total expenditure on free electricity per acre to the government is estimated to Rs 5,500 per acre. Even here farmers were being robbed of Rs 3,000 per acre while being made to feel that they were given free electricity , he said
