Badal asks Centre not to frame unrealistic policies

Ludhiana, Nov 17 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called upon the Centre to frame policies as per the needs and aspirations of the people rather than imposing unpopular policies framed from the comfort of AC-rooms.

Addressing a gathering of Cooperators at a state level function organised on the occasion of 55th All India Cooperative Week at Baddowal village, Mr Badal said that policies of the central government were being framed by those sitting in AC rooms who were not aware of the socio economic conditions of the general masses. He said that these policies could only be realistic and meaningful if they were based on the ground realities rather than jugglery of bare statistics.

Lauding the role of Cooperation movement in the development of agrarian sector of the state, Mr Badal said that no doubt it had played a pivotal role in restructuring and strengthening of the agriculture and its allied sectors but still a lot more was to be done to bring awareness about its significance amongst the cooperators at the grass roots level. He underscored the need to shift from traditional agriculture in terms of wheat-paddy rotation, which was no more remunerative due to low returns as compared to high cost of inputs, he added.

He pointed out that the transformation of agriculture sector by way of adopting dairy farming was not merely an alternative but an integral part of diversification which was the need of the hour. He solicited the services of progressive dairy farmers to motivate the farmers to take up dairy farming.

Blaming the Centre for anti-farmer policies, he said that though Punjab was an agrarian state but the policies for the procurement of foodgrains, fixation of minimum support price and supply of DAP and fertilizers was framed by the Centre without taking states into confidence.

Taking a strong exception to the callous attitude of the Centre for adopting discriminatory approach towards Punjab farmers, Mr Badal said that instead of appreciating the farmers for bailing out the country out of the severe food crisis by contributing 70 oer cent in the national food pool the central government even denied their justified right to give remunerative MSP for paddy during the current Kharif marketing season.

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