Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday made a number of promises to farmers as his government gears up for elections early next year.
Channi met leaders of 32 farmers’ groups in Chandigarh. Channi promised he would drop old cases registered against farmers over stubble burning and for participation in protests against the agriculture laws.
He announced his government had decided to raise the compensation for the losses of cotton farmers to Rs 17,000 per acre from Rs 12,000 per acre.
Channi also promised to expedite payments to those paddy farmers whose land records had not been uploaded online and grant jobs to the kin of farmers who died during the protests against the agriculture laws, Tribune reported.
“With this, we want that no farmer should set stubble on fire in future and the government will act strictly against the violation. But if any old FIR related to the stubble burning is there against anyone, we are cancelling it. But it is my request to farmers that they should not set the straw on fire as it causes pollution,” Channi said.
Channi told mediapersons his government had agreed to the demands of farmers and “they are fully satisfied”.
Farmers leader Buta Singh Burzgill was quoted by Tribune as saying the only pending issue was implementation of the Congress party's promise of a loan waiver for farmers, which was made before the 2017 elections. “The issue will be discussed with the CM at the next meeting,” Burzgill said. Channi said he would have a separate meeting with the farmers’ groups after detailed deliberations with the state's finance department.
Sukhbir lashes out
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal questioned the government for making no announcement on the loan waiver. He asked why the Congress had hoodwinked farmers on the issue for nearly five years.
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At a public meeting at Phillaur in Jalandhar, Sukhbir said the Congress made the loan waiver promise only to win votes.
“Channi must seek forgiveness from farmers for this perfidy [inaction on loan waiver]. The CM has also not done justice with cotton farmers whose crop had been damaged due to the pink bollworm attack in the Malwa region, even as the loss is at least ₹40,000 per acre. Channi says one thing and does another and cannot be trusted,” Sukhbir was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
