Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said on Friday that the state government will continue to give the highest prices to sugarcane farmers in the times to come. While talking to journalists after discussions with farmers’ groups at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, the Chief Minister said that the state government has always been at the first position in giving higher prices to sugarcane farmers and the same trend will continue even now.
He said that the state government was giving the price of sugarcane under State Agreed Price (SAP) at Rs 380 per quintal, which was till now the highest in the country, but Haryana recently increased this price to Rs 386 per quintal. It has been done to quintal. After the meeting with the sugar mill owners in the coming days, the state government will soon give good news to the farmers by increasing the price.
The Chief Minister said that for the first time in the history of Punjab, our government has paid all the dues of sugarcane farmers left by the previous governments. There are 16 sugar mills in the state, out of which nine belong to the cooperative sector and the rest belong to the private sector. Payments are outstanding only for two private mills of Phagwara and Dhuri. Action is underway to recover the money from these mills and payment will be made to the farmers after selling the properties of these mills.
The Chief Minister clearly said that our doors are always open for talks with any section of the society, but the problems of the common man in the name of protests will not be tolerated at all. There is a need to stop this trend so that the general public does not have to face any kind of trouble due to the protests. It is a matter of happiness that farmer groups have given positive support to it. The government is always ready to resolve the issues of different sections of the society through dialogue and the trend of harassing the common man by blocking roads and railways must be abandoned.
Every step of the state government is for the welfare of the people – CM Mann
The Chief Minister said that such activities create problems for the general public, due to which the common people turn against the protesters, which leads to division in the society. He said that the common man has to face problems due to such protests, which is unfair. It is a matter of satisfaction that the farmers have decided to open rail and road transport in the larger public interest.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is trying hard to make Punjab the number one state in the country in every field and hence the cooperation of every section of the society is essential. This is a people-friendly government and every step of the state government is taken with the aim of ensuring the welfare of the people. Every penny of the state treasury is being spent on the welfare of the people and no stone is being left unturned for this noble cause.
The Chief Minister said that there is no winner or loser in the process of deliberations because every decision is taken with the aim of ensuring the welfare of the state. The state government has taken exemplary initiatives like providing free electricity, opening Aam Aadmi Clinic, providing government jobs to the people and creating new employment opportunities in the private sector. These initiatives will continue in the coming days as the state government is making efforts towards the overall development of Punjab.
‘Strong efforts were made to stop the menace of stubble burning’
He said that the state government made strong efforts to stop the menace of stubble burning in Punjab. It is strange that despite these efforts, Punjab is being blamed for the poor air quality in Delhi. It is so unfair that Punjab has done everything that other states have done to stop this menace, yet Punjab is being maligned without any reason.
The Chief Minister advocated giving financial benefits to farmers for not burning stubble and encouraging crop diversification. He said that farmers should be given minimum support price (MSP) on alternative crops also so that their income increases. With this, farmers will be encouraged to get out of the crop cycle of wheat and paddy and their income will also increase.
The Chief Minister alerted the Central Government that it should not impose M.S. on paddy. Stop threatening farmers about abolishing P. He said that instead the Central Government should intervene to find a sustainable solution to end the problem of stubble burning as it is now a problem of entire North India and Central India. Bhagwant Singh Mann commented that if the Prime Minister can boast of resolving the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine, then this is a very small issue for him in comparison, but it will help in saving the environment of the country.
Punjab made the country self-reliant in grain production – Chief Minister
The Chief Minister clearly said that Punjab has made the country self-reliant in grain production and the Central Government should not leave the hardworking farmers of the state at their mercy on this issue. He said that instead of treating farmers and the agriculture sector like a stepmother, the central government should make efforts to make agriculture a profitable business. Members of Parliament of Aam Aadmi Party will raise all these issues related to Punjab in the upcoming session of Parliament.
The Chief Minister also expressed hope that the Punjab Governor will soon approve all the outstanding bills. He said that the Supreme Court has given a clear decision in this regard, but despite this the bills passed by the Punjab Legislative Assembly are pending with the Governor. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the time has come when the Governor should fulfill his constitutional and legislative duties so that the elected government in the state can function smoothly.
