CM DEMANDS CENTRAL ASSISTANCE:

Release immediate Rs.5,112 Cr special central assistance  

Chandigarh, September 14, 2012:  Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today urged the Union Minister of Agriculture Sharad Pawar for seeking his personal intervention to immediately provide Special Central Assistance of Rs.5,112 crore to the state for bailing out its farming community from the crisis arisen out of drought like situation and in securing the food security of the nation. 

In a letter to the Union Agriculture Minister, Badal said that Punjab had always been in the forefront for ensuring food security of the nation.  

Further, Badal apprised the Union Minister that their state has been contributing about 40-50% of wheat and 30-35% of rice to the Central Pool for the last three decades.  However, presently the state and its farmers had faced a serious natural calamity in terms of deficient monsoon rainfall and drought like situation prevailing in the state.  The Punjab farmers were paying a heavy price in facing the on-going monsoon crisis and there was an urgent need to come to their rescue. Therefore, state and its farmers deserve a comprehensive relief package in this hour of extraordinary crisis.

The chief minister also bemoaned that the recent hike in the prices of diesel by Rs.5 per liter had further accentuated the woes of the farmers who were already passing through difficult times due to non remunerative MSP coupled with continuous increase in the prices of agricultural inputs thereby rendering agriculture as non-profitable profession.  Keeping in view these circumstances the beleaguered farming community of the state today felt totally neglected and dejected.  

The chief minister requested Pawar to impress upon the GoI to immediately release Special Central Assistance to the tune of Rs.5,112 crore as per the memorandum submitted by the state government. 

It may be recalled that the State Government had submitted a detailed proposal to mitigate the drought like conditions in Punjab during Kharif 2012 and providing a Special Central Assistance of Rs.5112.09 crore to Mr. Pawar on his visit to Chandigarh on August 10, 2012.   

The Chief Minister apprised Pawar that the state government had not received any response to this proposal so far. 

Badal further brought to the notice of Union Agriculture Minister that non availability of timely rainfall during the ensuing Kharif season had resulted in increased input costs and the farming community of the state was under tremendous stress.  

As per IMD, the cumulative monsoon in Punjab up to July 2012 had been deficit by 70% than normal and the state fell under Scanty Rainfall States (60 to 99), whereas during the months of August & September the cumulative monsoon rainfall had been deficit by about 55-60%. Although there had been some improvement in monsoon rainfall during the month of August-September, but as per IMD cumulative rainfall till 10th September 2012 was still deficit by 54% than normal rainfall and the state falls under Deficient Rainfall States (20 to 59). The water requirement of crops was highest during these months and the crippling monsoon rainfall deficit had put the state and the farming community under great financial stress.