Free power to continue, Capt assures farmers

The CM’s clarification came two days after the state cabinet at its meeting held under his chairmanship agreed in-principle to switch from free electricity to cash transfer of subsidy to farmers through the DBT route from financial year 2021-22

Amid growing criticism from farmer organisations and opposition parties, Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday said there is no plan to withdraw free power to farmers in the state.

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“Let me reassure our farmers that there is no plan to withdraw free power to agriculture in Punjab. I am cognizant of your economic condition and appreciate the hard work put in by you in every crop to grow food grain for the country. Free power will continue!” he tweeted.

The CM’s clarification came two days after the state cabinet at its meeting held under his chairmanship agreed in-principle to switch from free electricity to cash transfer of subsidy to farmers through the direct benefit transfer (DBT) route from financial year 2021-22.

The decision to introduce DBT for power subsidy, which is part of the reforms-linked additional borrowing allowed by the Centre, saw the opposition parties, particularly the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), go after the state government. Both parties have strongly opposed the move, accusing the Congress government of hurting the state’s beleaguered peasantry.

SAD CORE COMMITTEE MEETS ON ISSUE TODAY

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has called its senior party leadership for a meeting of its core committee, its top decision-making body on Saturday. “The committee will discuss the strategy for a state-wide agitation against the Captain Amarinder Singh government to force it to recall the decision on DBT,” said SAD secretary Daljit Singh Cheema.

CM’S NERVOUS DENIAL A SIGN OF PANIC: SUKHBIR

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has described the CM’s denial of the government’s move to withdraw free power facility to farmers as ‘the desperate and nervous response of a CM who has been caught in the act’. “Amarinder has obviously felt the pressure of the warnings from the SAD and farmers over the past 24 hours,” Sukhbir said, adding that, “He is now creating a smokescreen to hide his government’s real intent, but he is still misleading the farmers on free power as he has not said a single word on his cabinet’s in-principle decision to replace free power with DBT.”

He questioned, “Will you please explain what does your cabinet’s decision on DBT mean and how will the state government implement it if not by introducing metered supply?,” Sukhbir also declared that his party will ‘never let these diversionary tactics succeed. We will not let him scrap free power through the back-door’.