Punjab CM for subsidy on drip irrigation

Abohar, Dec 19 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today urged the central government to give subsidies to the farmers to enable them to adopt drip irrigation to check the over exploitation of groundwater in the state.

Addressing a public rally after inaugurating a juice processing plant here, he said he had raised this issue in the meeting of the National Development Council recently held at New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He said that groundwater was receeding at the rate of three feet a year and if this did not stop, the state would be turned into a desert. Drip irrigation was most suited to the state and was also cost effective, he stressed.

Referring to the juice processing centre of the Punjab Agro Development Corporation that he inagurated, Capt Singh said it would help the ''kinnow and malta'' growers of the region. He said it was high time to persuade the farmers to go in for high value added crops like oil, pulses, fruits and vegetables which were not only remunerative but also less water intensive.

He said the objective of the diversification programme was to augment the income of the farmers.

Earlier Capt. Singh laid the foundation stone of railway overbridges at Malout and Abohar that would cost Rs 28.46 crore and Rs 20.38 crore respectively.

He also disbursed cheques to the village panchayats of Abohar sub division as compensation for the damage caused to their crops due to hail storm. He also handed over a cheque of Rs 36 lakh for the construction of sport stadium at village Azimgarh and another cheque of Rs 4 crore for the repair and lining of water courses in Abohar sub division to Congress leader Sunil Jakhar.

He also announced that the Rai Sikhs families would be soon declared as scheduled castes once the bill introduced in the Parliament becomes an Act after discussion. He also promised to take up the matter of giving SC status to Naik families in the region on the pattern of Rajasthan Government.

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