The Punjab government would conduct a high level enquiry into the seed quality following the pink bollworm attack on cotton crops in Malwa region and the criminal proceedings would be initiated against the guilty with attachment of properties and levying of fine.
This was disclosed here today by the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa after meeting a delegation of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee on various issues accompanied by the Agriculture Minister Randeep Singh Nabha.
Speaking on the occasion, Randhawa said that the Agriculture Minister right after assuming charge, has ordered the report to be submitted within stipulated time frame. The Agriculture Minister said that in order to save the cotton crop from further damage, the State Government would provide free spray.
Making further disclosures to the farmers, Randhawa said that the Punjab Government has provided Rs. 5 lakh to the families of each of the farmers who lost their lives during the ongoing agitation against black farm laws and the process to give jobs to one family member each of the 165 farmers who lost their lives in the agitation. A beginning in this direction has been made recently by the Chief Minister S. Charanjit Singh Channi from Bathinda and in the coming days too, these appointment letters would be handed over by the State Government to these families at their doorsteps.
On the farmers leaders taking up the issue of giving jobs to the family members of other deceased farmers, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the rest of the appointment letters would be prepared after the names of the family members are finalized. The legal hurdle arose because the families mentioned the names of their distant relatives. S. Nabha assured that the family members of all the deceased farmers would receive the appointment letters in one month. Regarding the issue of the non-inclusion of the three deceased farmers of the Amritsar and Tarn Taran, S. Randhawa and S. Nabha on the spot directed the officers to provide financial assistance to these families and complete the process of including them in the list of those being provided with the jobs.
The Deputy Chief Minister on the issue of withdrawing the cases registered against the farmers during the anti farm law agitation, made it clear that the Punjab Government has withdrawn 60 out of 105 cases and the rest would also be withdrawn soon. The police officers were also given directions in this regard on the spot itself. Divulging more, S. Randhawa said that as regards the cases registered by the Railway Police, it is in the jurisdiction of the Union Government to withdraw these for which the Punjab Government had written a letter and now he would personally meet the Railway Minister in this connection.
Coming to the pending payment of sugarcane to the farmers, S. Randhawa said that the 99 percent payments with regard to the Cooperative Sugar Mills has been done and now just Rs. 8 crore are pending which pertain to the buffer stock subsidy of the Union Government for which the GoI is being approached. He further said that conceding the demand of the cane growers, the Punjab Government has announced sugarcane price at Rs. 360 per quintal and the notification would be issued in a few days.
In response to the demand for opening of scheduled time gates for cultivation in the areas along the international border with Pakistan, especially in Ferozepur and Fazilka districts, S. Randhawa said that the Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts would be instructed to raise this issue with BSF Officials. Similarly on the issue of delay in disbursement of financial assistance by the state government to the farmers who committed suicide due to debt, the Deputy Chief Minister said that all the Deputy Commissioners would be directed to resolve this matter on priority basis. He also said that the farmers unions should fulfill the criteria for financial assistance and send the cases within the stipulated time.
Similarly, the Deputy Chief Minister also assured the Kisan Union regarding some pending cases of crop damage compensation and in this regard the officers of the concerned districts would be instructed.
