Badal says no need for reviewing ongoing subsidies to farmers

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said there is no need to review the ongoing power subsidies given to the farmers as it is the duty of the state government to share their burden.
The state had projected fiscal burden on account of free power to farmers as well as SC and BPL families to the tune of Rs 4,300 crore for this fiscal.
"Providing subsidies to compensate the farming community for ensuring food security is a global phenomenon," Badal said on the sidelines of a function here, as per an official release.
"There is no need for reviewing or rationalising the ongoing power subsidies to the farmers as it is the bounden duty of the state government to share the whopping burden, meted out by them while serving the entire country," he said.

He said the hardworking and resilient farmers of the state had played a vanguard role in making the country self reliant in food production and the power subsidy was a meager way to compensate them for this gigantic task.
Countries across the globe were assisting their food growers by extending them such subsidies, he said, adding that Punjab was no exception to it.

He said the SAD-BJP alliance would contest the coming civic body polls in the state together.
The necessary strategy for contesting these polls would be chalked out soon by the top brass of both the alliance partners.

Later, addressing a gathering the Chief Minister listed the initiatives taken by the state government to emerge Punjab as a "major hub" of Super Specialty treatment across the globe.
He said the setting up of the Homi Bhabha Cancer Treatment and Research Center at Mullanpur (New Chandigarh) was a right step towards this direction.
Badal said the state government has already made elaborate arrangements to provide state of the art treatment to the patients afflicted with the cancer in the Government Medical Colleges at Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot besides the upcoming ultra modern Cancer treatment centers in Bathinda and Sangrur.