Cong govt on way to withdrawing free power facility to farmers – SAD
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) said the Congress government had proven that it was on way to imposing power bills on all agricultural tubewells and taking back the facility extended to farmers by S Parkash Singh Badal by giving the go ahead for installation of electricity meters on tubewells at various places. Reacting to a cabinet decision in this regard, former minister Sikander Singh Maluka said the cabinet was trying to give the impression that electricity meters were being installed on tubewells at various places on a pilot basis. “This is furthest from the truth. The Congress government has rolled out the anti-subsidy policy of finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal who has time and again in the past spoken out against giving free power facility to the farmers of the State”. Stating that this anti-farmer step was expected to the fully implemented soon as per indications from the Congress government, Mr Maluka said this would be the death knell for farmers of the State. “Punjab is going through an agrarian crisis. Nearly 400 farmers have committed suicide since the last ten months. Finance minister Manpreet Badal has failed to implement the promised Rs 90,000 crore loan waiver scheme. Now Punjab farmers are faced with withdrawal of the free power facility”. The minister said earlier also the Congress government had withdrawn the free power facility given to the farming community when it took over the reins of the State in 2002. “The facility was restored after 44 months when the government realized it did not have any face to go back to the farmers and ask for their votes after withdrawing this facility. Now again a conspiracy has started to withdraw this facility under the aegis of finance minister Manpreet Badal”, he added.
