State seeks Rs 500-cr relief from Centre

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Yamunanagar, March 30

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar today said that the government had sought an interim relief of Rs 500 crore from the Centre to compensate the crop loss of farmers due to inclement weather.

“The state has already ordered a special girdawari to assess the crop loss and the same would be completed by March 31,” he added.

The CM was addressing a public meeting at Sadhaura today and added that such public meetings would be organised in every Assembly constituency to gather information about public grievances and to get the development work done.

Khattar also announced a government polytechnic at Sadhaura, a college at Bilaspur, upgradation of the existing CHCs of Mustafabad and Bilaspur to 50 beds, setting up of a 66 KV sub-station at Rasulpur, laying of sewerage lines in Sadhaura and Saraswati Nagar (Mustafabad).

Fulfilling the dream of RSS stalwart and the founder of Saraswati Nadi Sodh Sansthan, Darshan Lal Jain, the CM said that the government had constituted the Adi Badri Heritage Board to ensure development of the area situated along the Saraswati and to increase the importance of Adi Badri, the starting point of the mythical river.

He also announced that excavation of Saraswati would also be undertaken.

Khattar also made it clear that corruption would not be tolerated at any cost. All steps would be taken to ensure transparency in the government.

On the occasion, he made all those present on the dais including the DC and SP to raise their hands to support graft free governance.

Besides waving tubewell power bills from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the farmers whose crops were damaged by rains and hailstones, the government had also decided to provide the next crop loan at zero interest.

“I am very well versed with the problems here as I was here from 1984 to 1991. I have opted to start my public meetings from here as no CM has visited this place during the past 13 years,” he added.

Earlier, Sadhaura MLA Balwant Singh welcomed the CM and apprised him of the demands of the people. Assembly Speaker Kanwarpal Gurjar, MP Rattan Lal Kataria, MLAs Shyam Singh Rana and Ghanshyam Das also spoke on the occasion.

CM urged to take up farmers’ cause with Centre

Sirsa: Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhry has asked Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to impress upon the Centre to make the Food Corporation of India (FCI) procure wheat. The FCI has decided to stop procuring wheat in the state from the coming season starting from April 1. In a communication to Khattar, the former minister, who met farmers after the Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha, apprised him of their concerns. “Hail-hit farmers are worried that their produce will not be because of the FCI's decision,” Choudhry told The Tribune on Monday. “I conveyed to them (farmers) your assurance that ‘every grain will be procured by state agencies’, but they were far from being assured. They apprehend that the state agencies will not fit the bill, putting them to the mercy of avaricious traders who will fleece them. The farmers want the FCI to procure wheat if their interests are to be protected,” she said in the letter. The CLP leader further wrote that if the Punjab Government could take up the matter with the Centre, we (Haryana) should also do so in the interest of state farmers. — Sushil Manav