Sukhbir Singh Badal asks CM to release Rs 2,500 per acre to farmers for paddy stubble
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday asked chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, to fulfill his responsibility towards the ‘annadaata’ by releasing Rs 2,500 per acre to all paddy growers for managing paddy stubble.
Also, Sukhbir Singh Badal condemned the attempts to penalize farmers for government failures.
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The SAD president said that the Congress government had not only refused to give compensation of Rs 100 per quintal to farmers for managing paddy stubble as mandated by the Supreme Court last year but had not kept any provision in the State budget to offer this compensation this year also.
“This speaks of the utter insensitivity of the State government which is using threats and even FIRs to force farmers to do its bidding but is not ready to facilitate them at all," he said.
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"The SAD demands the government clear last year’s compensation backlog and release funds in advance to farmers this year after taking undertakings from them to ensure paddy stubble is managed as per the directions of the apex court," Sukhbir Singh Badal added.
Stating that the Congress government was in contempt of the apex court, Sukhbir Singh Badal said the court had clearly stipulated that the State should not wait for the Union government to come up with the compensation and should take measures to do the needful on its own.
He said after failing to offer compensation to farmers, the Congress government registered 1,700 cases against farmers for burning stubble last year.
“This year the Congress government is seeking to abrogate its responsibility to farmers by claiming they can take machines needed to manage stubble from custom hiring centers free of cost. It is a known fact that these centers can manage only a fraction of the paddy stubble in the State and that the government is again befooling the apex court as well as the farmers of the State”.
-PTC News
