Badal sets up panel to rationalise agro subsidies

To promote crop diversification in Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today approved setting up an expert panel to rationalise prevalent subsidies in the agriculture sector to benefit farmers in the state.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister in a high level meeting held under his chairmanship to review the performance of agriculture and animal husbandry departments here, an official spokesman said.
Showing concern over the "less allocation" of funds by the Centre to improve rural areas and lives of farmers, Badal underlined the need to streamline subsidies to enable the beneficiaries to reap maximum benefits and strengthen the crop diversification programme.

He said the expert panel to be headed by Chairman of Punjab State Farmer's Commission G S Kalkatt would examine the existing subsidies given to farmers for mechanisation of agriculture and supplying pesticides to genuinely benefit the farmers.
He asked the Committee to submit its report within a fortnight to enable the state government to disburse subsidies in a rationalised manner.
Badal said it was the need of the hour to give fillip to the crop diversification program in the state by enhancing the area under alternative crops like maize, cotton, sugarcane, soyabean, pulses and others.
In another decision, the Chief Minister also asked the Agriculture department to work out the modalities for giving subsidised seeds, certified pesticides and agro-chemicals to the cotton growers.

Badal asked the Agriculture department to evolve a strategy for ensuring that only the genuine beneficiaries could avail this scheme.