Punjab government has ordered the marking of special numbers on the subsidised agricultural machinery with laser to stop black marketing in the name of subsidy on agriculture implements. Agriculture and farmers welfare minister, Punjab, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said this on Thursdays after inspecting the superseeder and other agro-based machinery at the agrizone unit of GSAI Daulatpur village of Patiala. The minister said that these numbers must be marked in a specific format as per the norms set by the government.
Interacting with the media on this occasion, Dhaliwal said that during the previous rule of governments in the state, subsidy scam of about ₹150 crore has come to the fore in distribution of agriculture machinery. The agriculture minister further said that the chief minister Bhagwant Mann led government has adopted zero tolerance towards corruption therefore the agriculture machine manufactures have been directed to mark a special number with the laser on the agricultural machinery to prevent black marketing. He said that the government provides 50 percent subsidy on agro machines which are given to farmers which help in stubble residue management. “Only those genuine farmers would be given subsidies on machines which will have laser embarked numbers on the machines,” added the agriculture minister.
Dhaliwal said that the Bhagwant Mann led Punjab government is working to stop the practice of stubble burning by providing full assistance to farmers for crop residue management. “The Punjab government has taken some strong steps so that the subsidy on crop residue management machines should reach the genuine farmers and put an end to the black marketing in the name of subsidies,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Dhaliwal said that the Bhagwant Mann led Punjab government is working to stop the practice of stubble burning by providing full assistance to farmers for crop residue management. “The Punjab government has taken some strong steps so that the subsidy on crop residue management machines should reach the genuine farmers and put an end to the black marketing in the name of subsidies,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The minister further said that the Punjab government would encourage the agro industries those who follow the standards and norms set by the Punjab government and GOI while manufacturing the machines. He appealed to the agricultural implement manufacturing companies to ensure strict adherence to the standards set by the government while making agricultural implements and providing them to the farmers so that there is no problem in giving subsidies to the farmers.