Punjab Governor lists Congress government’s pro-farmer initiatives

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 1

Amid sloganeering by the Opposition benches, the Congress government today sought to focus on various pro-farmer initiatives taken against the implementation of the central farm laws both inside and outside the Vidhan Sabha.

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Owing to the ruckus in the Assembly, Governor VP Singh Badnore had to cut short his 48-page address to 19 minutes, saying the speech be treated as read. As a result, the key points related to various steps taken against the central farm laws were missed out.

The Governor’s speech pointed out that the Assembly twice passed resolutions urging the Centre to withdraw the farm laws, brought in three amendments to the laws to mitigate the anticipated adverse impact, reasserting interests of the farming community will be watched.

It said the state government was fully aware of the concerns of farmers and would not let peasants suffer. The Governor’s speech read: “My government is fully alive to the concerns of the farmers in the state as they are the pivot of the state’s economy. We will not let the farmers and farm workers suffer in any manner.”

“They apprehend that these laws would disrupt the time-tested agriculture marketing systems established under the Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1961. There are also apprehensions about the dismantling of the government procurement of foodgrains at the minimum support price (MSP),” the address read.

“My government had taken these concerns of farmers seriously. The House passed three amendment legislations to mitigate the anticipated adverse impact of the central laws. These legislations are pending for presidential assent under Article 254 of the Constitution. My government strongly feels the enactment of these three central laws is against the principles of cooperative federalism as agriculture is a State subject under entry 14 of List II of Schedule 7 of the Constitution. The Chief Minister has time and again urged the Prime Minister to reconsider these laws, concede to the demand of the farmers, and withdraw these new central legislations,” said the Governor’s Address.

During the Address, the Governor talked about handling of Covid-19 pandemic and achievements of the state government. Though Covid-19 is presently under control, the farmers’ agitation and its resultant effect on the farming communities is causing a “lot of anxiety” among the common man.

Concern over Covid

Though Covid-19 is at present under control, the farmers’ agitation and its resultant effect on the farming community is causing a ‘lot of anxiety’ among the common man, the Governor said

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