Govt advances paddy sowing by a week

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Khatkar Kalan, May 6

Days ahead of polling in the state, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today tried to appease the farming community by announcing to advance the paddy sowing schedule by one week.

While the scheduled date of paddy sowing was June 20, the Chief Minister said his government would allow sowing from June 13 onwards. “This has been the main demand of the farmers. I would have further advanced the schedule of paddy sowing, but I cannot as the exchequer has to bear an extra burden of Rs 400 crore for advancing it by just one week,” Capt Amarinder said, while addressing a rally in favour of Anandpur Sahib candidate Manish Tewari.

The Chief Minister made three more announcements in favour of the farmers. “The PSPCL will pay compensation to those farmers whose crop was damaged due to sparking from main power lines during the recent rains. The loss due to fires caused by any other reasons will be compensated from the CM relief fund,” Capt Amarinder said.

He said, “I am expecting a report of girdawari for crop destroyed because of rain and windstorm within four days. I have already kept aside funds for compensation to the affected farmers and it will be released at the earliest. The farmers have told me that the crop with high moisture content and less lustre is being procured with a price cut of Rs 4.6 per quintal. I assure the farmers that they will get full amount.”

Buying gunny bags state’s job: Sukhbir

Fatehgarh Sahib: SAD president on Monday said, "Gunny bags for the procurement of wheat or paddy are purchased by the state government in advance. The Centre has no role in it. Chief Minister Capt Amrinder Singh is befooling the people by levelling baseless allegations." He claimed that the SAD-BJP government had made the state power surplus and launched several welfare schemes, but the Capt Amarinder government discontinued the same.