Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has sought a special financial relief package from the Union government, on the lines of that given to hill states.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters here on Saturday, chief spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang said that Punjab Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal met Union Agriculture Minister Narinder Singh Tomar recently and demanded a financial assistance package that should address the financial woes of the farmers and also encourage them for crop diversification and curb stubble burning in the state.

Kang said that minister Dhaliwal, during a meeting with Union minister Tomar at the National Conference of Agriculture and Horticulture Ministers of the states in Bengaluru, also demanded Rs 15, 000 per acre per year compensation for border area farmers to reduce their hardships as they can work only 10am to 4pm and cannot grow crops higher than 3 feet due to border restrictions.

He said that as Punjab is an agrarian state and most of the population is dependent on agriculture, therefore, the AAP government has urged the Union government to allocate a special package to Punjab to compensate the state for the industrial packages given to hill states by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

He said that Punjab has fed food grains, wheat and rice to the nation for four decades of scarcity and now it is the duty of the Union government to extend financial help to take the farmers of Punjab out of the debt trap.

Kang also urged the Union Minister Tomar to fulfil his promise made during the farmers’ protest and constitute a committee to look into the issue of MSP.

The post Punjab demands special financial package for farmers on par with hill States appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Chandigarh: In a bid to give impetus to crop diversification across the state and save only available natural resource in form of water, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced Minimum Support Price (MSP) on Moongi crop.

Assuring the farmers sowing Moongi, Bhagwant Mann said that the state government would purchase every single grain of their crop provided they will have to sow paddy 126 variety or basmati in the same field after harvesting Moongi as both these crops take far less time for maturity as well as require less water as compared to other varieties of paddy.

The Chief Minister said, “It is for the first time that any government has assured farmers to purchase Moongi on MSP. This will enable the farmers to supplement their income by sowing another crop between wheat-paddy cycle.”

Pertinently, the MSP for Moongi is Rs 7275 per quintal and it is being cultivated over an area of 77,000 acres as compared to 50,000 acres in last year.

The Chief Minister also declared that the state government would purchase Basmati on the remunerative price to ensure market price stabilization to avoid any loss to the farmers. This step would ultimately motivate the farmers to cultivate less water consuming varieties of paddy including 126 and basmati to check the fast depleting water table in the state.

Notably, the Chief Minister has already announced a financial assistance worth Rs. 1500 per acre to the farmers adopting direct sowing of paddy.

The post CM Mann announces to procure Moongi on MSP appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

CHANDIGARH: On the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Mandi Board has set up State Control Room at Mandi Board Headquarter in Mohali to facilitate the farmers and Arthiyas during Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) commenced from April 1 in the state,

The Board also issued contact numbers to promptly address the issues of farmers and Arthiyas during the ongoing procurement operations.

Reiterating the resolve of Punjab Government to procure every single grain of the farmers’ produce, Bhagwant Mann said that elaborate arrangements were already made for smooth and hassle free procurement and necessary directions have also been issued to Deputy Commissioners and procurement agencies in this regard.

The Spokesperson also informed that the officials of Mandi Board and Food & Civil Supplies would be available at Control Room from 8 am to 8 pm for timely redressal of the grievances of farmers and Arthiyas, if any. The spokesperson further stated that the farmers and arthiyas can contact at 0172-5101659,5101643, 5101605 and 5101650.

The post Punjab Mandi Board establishes Control Room to address Wheat procurement issues appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.

Chandigarh: With the strenuous efforts of Aam Adami Party (AAP) government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for seeking Cash Credit Limit (CCL) from Centre before the commencement of wheat procurement season, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday cleared a sum of Rs. 24,773.11 crore towards CCL upto end April-2022 for the procurement of Wheat in Punjab during the ensuing Rabi Marketing Season (RMS).

With this, the bulk of the CCL sought by the state government for the purchase of 132 lakh tonnes of Wheat for this season has been released by the central bank.

CM Bhagwant Mann directed the Food & Civil Supplies department to ensure smooth and hassle free procurement of every single grain of the farmers besides making payment to them of their produce from the very first day of procurement i.e. April 1, 2022.

Notably, the procurement of wheat would begin from April 1 and culminate on May 31 during the current RMS. The Central government has fixed the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of wheat at Rs.2015 per quintal, hiking it by Rs.40 from last year’s Rs. 1975 per quintal.

The post RBI clears Rs 24,773.11 Cr CCL for Punjab’s Rabi Marketing Season -2022 appeared first on TV Punjab | English News Channel.