Manpreet tours grain markets, says farmers not paid a penny
Monday, 25/04/2016
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/community/manpreet-tours-grain-markets-says-farmers-not-paid-a-penny/227124.html
Bathinda : Congress leader Manpreet Badal after touring Talwandi Sabo, Rama, Sangat and Kot Shamir mandis today said farmers had not been paid a penny till date for the procurement of their wheat crop which began on April 1.
“Farmers in the state are being treated like beggars for the first time after independence,” he added.
Manpreet said, “It is not the farmers alone who have been severely affected, arhtiyas, labourers, transporters and their families too have been hit.”
District Food Supply Controller (DFC) Jaspreet Singh Kahlon said, “It is wrong to say that the government has not cleared any payments. We have cleared nearly all bills till April 22. Cheques have been issued to arhtiyas and farmers should have got it by now.”
Arhtiya Dev Raj from the Bathinda grain market said, “We got partial payment from certain banks on April 22. The accounts have not been settled because of the intervening weekend. The payments should start from tomorrow afternoon.”
Farmer Jaskaran from Talwandi Sabo said, “I took my wheat to the Talwandi Sabo grain market on April 16. However, I have not received a penny till date. There are many more like me waiting for their money. Our arhtiya today said he will be able to pay us by Tuesday.”
Manpreet said, “Punjab is a classic case of state failure in finance management as shown by the junk status of its credit ratings at the national level. Banks have refused to give any loan because accounts of the state government have not been reconciled with the records of the Centre.”
Badal govt diverted funds: Bhattal
Bhawanigarh (Sangrur): Former Chief Minister and Congress MLA from Lehragaga Rajinder Kaur Bhattal on Sunday asked the Modi government to take strict action against the Badal government for diverting Rs 900 crore of crop procurement money to the Atta-Dal scheme. She said by doing so, the Badal government had done injustice to farmers as they had to wait for their crop’s payments for long. Bhattal said the Modi government should also order a high-level probe into the use of funds of all central schemes, provided by it to the Badal government, as the state “often diverted the money” to other schemes being run by it.
