Without free power, farmers would be in 'debt trap': Badal

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that peasants' would have been in "debt trap" had they not been provided free power.
Badal, however, noted that the state government was being criticised for extending free power to farmers.
"Had the free power not been given, the peasantry in the state would have been in debt trap worth Rs 60,000 crore," he said while addressing a session on the concluding day of agriculture summit here.
Punjab government has been supplying free power over Rs 5,500 crore to farmers.
Ridiculing the "disoriented" economics policies of the Centre, Badal said that the Union government was more concerned with reducing prices of cars, mobile phones, rather than decreasing excise duty on the import of farm machineries.

However, Badal said the state government would extend subsidy to farmers for drip/sprinkling irrigation.

He said Punjab has successfully implemented the direct sowing of paddy while urging farmers not to burn the stubble, which posed many environmental challenges.
The Chief Minister applauded the services of acclaimed agriculture scientist Sompal Sashtri. He urged Sashtri to render his services for the peasantry of Punjab.
Badal also expressed his concerns over farmers' suicides.