Congress kisan cell for central package to Punjab farmers

Chandigarh, Oct 11 (UNI) All India Congress Kisan Cell president Shamsher Singh Surjewala today demanded a special economic package for the indebted farmers of Punjab, and said he would soon approach UPA chairperson Ms Sonia Gandhi in this regard.

''I will take your voice for a special package to Sonia Gandhi so that the poor farmers of this state could get some monetary relief within a month,'' Mr Surjewala said, while addressing a gathering of the party activists from Punjab at the state Congress Bhawan here.

He was speaking on the occasion of the installation ceremony of the newly appointed Punjab Kisan and Khet Mazdoor Congress president Kuldeep Singh Nagra.

Mr Surjewala said he would also demand from the UPA government to hike the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat up to at least Rs 800 per quintal so that the farmers could sustain in the prevailing circumstances of steep hike in input costs.

He said he was not in favour of the import of wheat. ''The government should rather encourage the farmers to grow wheat instead of importing the food grain,'' he said.

''Even the experts say that if the trend of discoraging the wheat cultivation continues then the country will starve for foodgrains by 2030,'' he said.

Later talking to mediaperson, Mr Surjewala, however, said that the economic packages for the poor peasantry would not resolve the agrarian crisis in the country as there has to be some permanent mechanism and policy in interest of the farmers and sustainable agricultural growth.

He said the issue of rural indebtedness should be brought to the concurrent list from the state list so that the Union government could take remedial steps in interest of the farmers.

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