Punjab Cong MPs urge Captain to request PM not to consider any recommendations of APC

Punjab Congress MPs on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to approach Prime Minister and urge him not to consider any recommendation of Agriculture Price Commission (APC).

At a meeting convened by the Chief Minister to discuss budget proposals for the next fiscal, Members of both the Houses of Parliament decided that the Chief Minister should press upon the Prime Minister the dangers of accepting the APC's recommendation.

Any change in MSP procurement policy will adversely impact Punjab's economy, they felt, expressing the fear that the Centre would limit procurement as the first step towards putting an end to MSP purchase.

Briefing the MPs on the status of the SYL case, the Chief Minister asked the MPs to push for the amendment to the provision of Section 12 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill 2019, to protect Punjab's water resources.

During the discussion on MSP and procurement, the meeting referred to a note by the Punjab Ministry of Distribution relating to Evacuation of Central Pool Food Grains from the Food and Public Consumer Affairs to underline the problems currently faced by the state in terms of tardy and slow procurement of wheat and rice by central agencies.

A presentation by the Department showed that 140 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat and 95 LMT of rice belonging to the Central pool are currently stored in the state of LMT of wheat is lying in the open/CAP, including 16 wheat purchased under relaxed specifications (URS) during Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2019-20 and 10 LMT wheat procured in RMS 2018-19.

Among the other key issues of Punjab's interest pending with their Centre, that came up for discussion during the meeting, were Punjab's demand for compensation of Rs 100 per quintal to farmers for zero burning of paddy residue, reduction of tax rate for dairy cooperatives, and exemption of dairy products from Free Trade negotiations.

The meeting also decided to pursue with the Centre, and in Parliament, Punjab's pending demand for exemption to Textile Sector in the Border and AspirationalDistricts under Section 80(1)(b) of Income Tax Act, 1961.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Sunil Jakhar said all the MPs should take up in Parliament the issue of the delayed SGPC elections, to break the stranglehold of the Akalis on the religious body. The tenure of the current SGPC had ended in 2016.