Badal hopes NDA govt will safeguard farmer's interests

Mar 24 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today expressed hope that NDA government would take care of farmers' interest while amending the contentious Land Acquisition Bill.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today expressed hope that NDA government would take care of farmers' interest while amending the contentious Land Acquisition Bill.

Badal said that he had urged the Union government to ensure adequate compensation, consent and rehabilitation of the farmers before acquiring even an inch of their land.

Speaking after inaugurating a newly-built students' centre at Government College here today, the Chief Minister said that the NDA government would take care of the interests of the farmers while amending the Land Acquisition Bill in the larger interest of the nation, an official statement said.

Citing the example of the state government, he said that in Punjab the farmers had been fully compensated whenever any land had been acquired for development.

"Ever since assuming power in 2007 we have been pursuing a pro-farmer policy of land acquisition, which is a role model for the entire country," he said.

He said that in a short span of its rule the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given several key projects to the state which would be instrumental in putting Punjab further on high growth trajectory.

He said that Sri Amritsar Sahib, the holy city of the state, has been chosen as heritage city under the HRIDAY scheme, which would ensure flow of central assistance worth hundred crores of rupees for its development.

Jallianwala Bagh has been included amongst Cultural World Heritage Site to receive special assistance for improving the infrastructure, he said.

He hailed the NDA government for allocating prestigious projects like All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Post Graduate Horticulture Research and Educational Institute to the state.