Badal pitches for farm subsidies

Amid criticism on giving free power to farmers from several quarters, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday said the farming sector should be given subsidies "in a big way" for producing sufficient food grain to meet the country's requirement.

Badal also sought cooperation of all the members of Parliament irrespective of their affiliations with political parties to put pressure on the Centre for bringing about change in the formula fixed for arriving at the minimum support price (MSP) of food grain to ensure remunerative prices to farmers.

"The condition of farmer is pitiable. Every farmer who is doing only farming is under heavy debt. This is not because of any weakness in him but due to policies of the government," Badal said while addressing the inaugural session of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) workshop here in Punjab Assembly.

Noting that farmers are at the receiving end due to non- remunerative and diminishing returns, Badal said farmers should be given more subsidies to bail them out of agrarian crisis.

"If you want sufficient food grain for the country then you have to give subsidies to farmers in a big way," he said while justifying the state government's decision of giving free power to farm sector.

"Farming is a profession and if you want to keep it alive then you have to subsidise it highly," Badal said. He also said, "media and some other people are criticising us for giving free power."

Referring to his conversation with Bangladesh Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhary who also present on this occasion, Badal said countries such as Bangladesh are also giving subsidy on power to its farmers.

"What we are doing (giving free power) in Punjab, they are doing in Bangladesh. They do not charge anything for tube well," said Badal.

Siromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP)-led state government has been facing sharp criticism from several quarters for doling out free power to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore.

Describing the current formula fixed for determining food grain MSP as "very defective", Badal said all member of Parliaments (MP) should pressurise the Centre for bringing change in the formula.

"This formula can be changed only by pressure of all MPs," he said.