Manav Mander
Ludhiana, February 12
The first 'Sarkar-Kisan Milni'(government-farmer interaction) was held today at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
During the 'milni', Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called upon the officers, especially the Deputy Commissioners and Additional Deputy Commissioners, to maximise their field visits, especially in villages, and their interactions with the people by going to the villages. He said that it is the need of the hour to help people get their day-to-day works done easily and ensure good governance.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that this unique endeavour was aimed at ensuring the well-being of farmers. "Active participation of farmers is the need of the hour to bail them out of the ongoing agrarian crisis. Due to ever-escalating input costs and diminishing returns, agriculture is no longer a profitable venture," said Mann.
He said that the sole motive of organising this interaction is to reduce the gap between decision-makers and stakeholders so that policies are designed as per the needs of the farmers.
Bhagwant Mann called upon farmers to shun traditional methods of agriculture and adopt ultra-modern techniques for maximising their profit, adding that the state government would ensure full support to them.
He said that the state government is giving major thrust to the food-processing sector and processing plants for sugarcane, litchi, garlic, kinnow and other fruits would soon be set up in the state.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is also planning to boost agro-industry in a big way. He said that Punjab produces 80 per cent of the total basmati produced in the country. Its production would be further enhanced in the coming days. Mann said that it would give a fillip to the basmati industry, supplement the income of farmers and save precious water.
The Chief Minister said that as the state now has surplus coal with it, the state government has also urged the Union Government to give consent for supplying coal to private thermal plants.
Mann also launched India's first e-timber portal. He said that this first-of-its-kind portal in the country has been developed by the Forest Department and would ensure transparency in selling and buying of timber, thereby benefitting farmers.
He said that earlier in the state, the buying and selling of timber was done largely through unorganised markets due to which farmers were not able to get remunerative prices. So, farmers were drifting away from agro-forestry.
Farmers oppose GM mustard
Farmers raised their voice against genetically modified mustard and demanded that the government should stop its trials. "GM Mustard will do irreparable damage to biodiversity, food, soil and the environment. It will not bring any economic benefit to farmers," alleged a protesting farmer.
CM arrives late
Many farmers reached the venue early in the morning but CM Mann reached PAU nearly two hours late, resulting in many farmers leaving the campus without meeting him. They complained that there were no arrangements of water and refreshments for them.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/w1rQP3B
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