Punjab CM affirms on RIL project in agri sector

Malerkotla, May 22 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today re-affirmed that the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) project in the agri-sector would be implemented in Punjab in the larger interest of the farming community despite the opposition to the project by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and some Farmers organisations.

Addressing a public rally here, Capt Singh explained that the RIL had committed to set up 302 agricultural hubs in the state to give a much needed push for the second green revolution as a part of the ambitious programme of diversification in agriculture.

He said that out of these 302 hubs, 52 were major hubs and the remaining 250 were minor ones which would provide the farmers with inputs such as quality seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, weedicides as well as hi-tech facilities such as drip irrigation and net/green houses.

He stated that lakhs of Punjabi farmers would be benefitted from the project as growing fruits and vegetables would give them two to three times more income than traditional farming.

He charged his predecessor and SAD president Parkash Singh Badal with making attempts to scuttle this project ''for his political and vested narrow interests''. He said the Akalis were apprehensive of the fact that the farmers of Punjab' whom they claimed as their vote bank once will become economically self reliant' due to the visionary and path breaking approach adopted by the Congress Party would go out of their hands for ever.

Capt Singh further said that 161 mega projects at an investment of Rs 63,000 crore with an employment potential of 16 lakh jobs for the Punjabi youth would certainly change the scenario in the state.

He asked Mr Badal had the Akali regime in the past brought a single industrial unit.

On the contrary, Capt Singh said, the present Congerss government had made concerted efforts to motivate the big industrial houses' not within the country but from abroad also to choose Punjab as the most preferred destination.

On the overall development and progress in the State, Capt Singh said that the Planning Commission had approved the development package of Rs 2,050 crore and forwarded it to the Union Ministry of Finance for the release of funds.

He said he had called on Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram last week in Delhi and urged him to immediately grant sanction for the release of funds to enable the State Government to execute various infrastructure and development oriented schemes.

On the power sector, the Chief Minister said that the State Government was purchasing power worth Rs 14 crore daily from Rajasthan, Kerala, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh and now Punjab had tied up with the Government of Bhutan to buy power in the near future. He said the state had a generation capacity of 5200 MW and further planned to augment the power capacity to 7200 MW in a phased manner.

On the Indo-Pak relations, Capt Singh said that the recent initiatives of the State Government with the Government of Pakistani Punjab' under the leadership of Ch Pervaiz Elahi had fostered feeling of goodwill, mutual trust and friendship amongst the people of both Punjabs. Besides, such activities had enormously aided the national governments of Pakistan and India to undertake the ongoing Confidence Building Measures (CBM) in a meaningful and result oriented manner.

The steps which helped both the nations in CBM included the commissioning of direct bus service from Amritsar to Lahore and Nankana Sahib.

UNI XC PS SHB RN1915