Badal appreciates Pawar for helping Pb in crop diversification

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who has frequently accused the Centre of meting out step-motherly treatment to Punjab, today lauded Union Minister Sharad Pawar for "taking personal pains" in assisting and monitoring crop diversification programme in the state.
The CM hoped that a Central team which had arrived here at the instance of Pawar would take stock of the situation in a holistic manner and forward its recommendations accordingly.
Badal praised the Union Agriculture Minister for taking personal pains in helping the state in pursuing agriculture diversification programme in the right earnest, an official release quoting the CM said.
The visit of the Central team, which held discussions with Punjab officials today, comes on the heels of a meeting between Badal and Pawar in Delhi on April 15.

Badal at the meeting had impressed upon Pawar to sanction Rs 5,000 crore for launching diversification programme in Punjab in a bid to encourage farmers to shift area from paddy to cash rich crops like maize, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables and others.