Ministers nudge Punjab CM on farm DBT

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 31

The Centre’s insistence on the direct payment of minimum support price (MSP) to farmers for this year’s rabi procurement today rocked the Punjab Cabinet meeting, with the ministers asking CM Capt Amarinder Singh to again strongly take up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The wheat procurement will start from April 10.

The ministers sought an early resolution to the issue in wake of the farmers’ agitation and the Assembly elections due next year. “If the BJP government’s insistence on the farm laws was not enough, the push for DBT is only adding to the woes of the protesting farmers and disturbing the law and order in the state,” said a minister.

The Chief Minister informed his Cabinet colleagues that despite writing to the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Food Minister, nothing had happened. Opposing the direct bank transfer (DBT) scheme for farmers, the Chief Minister had written to the PM, seeking his intervention in issuing directions to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to defer the implementation of the DBT scheme for at least a year.

“The arhtiyas and farmers had good relations. There is no need to change the system when it was working well. Around 50 per cent farmers gave their land on contract. So how will those who till the land get their money under the DBT,” the Chief Minister had stated. After a detailed discussion, the Chief Minister decided to tomorrow chair a meeting on the issue with all stakeholders, including arhtiyas.

Don’t implement scheme, says SAD

• The SAD on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to oppose the DBT scheme for government purchase of foodgrain resolutely instead of seeking time to implement the same, even as it asked the Centre to reconsider imposing the scheme forcefully on Punjab
• In an official statement, SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said Capt Amarinder Singh was at fault for agreeing to implement the scheme from the forthcoming ‘rabi’ season

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