New Update
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday demanded a release of compensation of Rs 3,000 per acre to all the farmers to offset the loss being incurred by them due to flight of migrant labour from the State. It also asked the state to provide mechanized transplanters at seventy-five percent subsidy to ensure quick sowing of the paddy crop.
SAD senior leader and Kisan Wing President Sikander Singh Maluka said that the government had chosen to send the migrants packing to their home States rather than giving them an incentive to stay back.
“Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is directly responsible for this. Now the State must come to the aid of the farmers as paddy transplantation rates have gone up from Rs 2,500 per acre to Rs 5,500 per acre. The farmers, who are already reeling under huge labour costs incurred to harvest and sell paddy during the lockdown, are unable to bear this extra cost," he said.
Maluka also said that the government should offer compensation to the farmers from the State Disaster Management Fund which already had Rs 6,000 crore accumulated in it since last several years. He said that the centre had also released Rs 247 crore under the disaster relief head recently.
The Kisan Wing president further said that the government should also give liberal subsidy for mechanized transplanters to fill in the gap caused by labour shortage. He said that mechanized transplanters were being offered at a subsidy of forty per cent which should be increased to 75 per cent to encourage youth to go in for them in a big way.
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Maluka also said that there were complaints that electricity supply was not regular across the State despite claims of eight hours uninterrupted supply being made by the government. He said that ten hours regular supply should be ensured to farmers for the next two months to ensure they were able to transplant as well as nurture their paddy crop.
-PTC News-