Sitharaman’s agri package nothing but a jumla: Captain

CM says that the so-called economic package offers no immediate relief to distressed farmers, who are battling the stress of handling two major crops one after the other in extremely tough conditions

Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday termed Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s package for the agriculture sector as “nothing but a pack of jumlas”.

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“The so-called economic package offers no immediate relief to the distressed farmers, who are battling the stress of handling two major crops one after the other in extremely tough conditions,” said Amarinder.

He said, “All three tranches of the much-awaited economic package announced so far have turned out to be a major disappointment for the targeted sections of the society. It is clear that the Centre has failed to come to rescue of people struggling due to covid crisis and lockdown.”

“Farmers need immediate intervention, and not these so-called reform measures that have been long in the making and were not needed to be pushed through in haste at this critical juncture,” said Captain.

The CM added that Punjab is one of the most hit states when it comes to agriculture. “We need support for farmers during the wheat harvesting and procurement season, which the Centre has failed to deliver. Despite repeated pleas, the Centre did not provide any incentive bonus to farmers for staggered procurement,” he added.