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Punjab should have been first to get special package for agriculture: Manpreet Badal
Manpreet was asked about Centre, reportedly sanctioning, Rs 13,650 crore to Maharashtra to address agrarian distress in 14 districts.
Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Wednesday said that Punjab should have been the first state to get a ‘special package’ for addressing agriculture related issues. Talking to reporters during the start of the second phase of farm-debt waiver programme, Manpreet was asked about Centre, reportedly sanctioning, Rs 13,650 crore to Maharashtra to address agrarian distress in 14 districts.
In response, Manpreet said, “Maharashtra has an industrial base and is a rich state. Punjab should have been the first state to get the special package as the state ensures food security of the country.”
In the second phase of the waiver, 7,213 farmers with less than 2.5 acres and farm loan of less than Rs 2 lakh have been extended debt benefit in Bathinda district. The government expenditure on this would be Rs 29.1 crore. In the first phase, Rs 38.3 crore were spent on 12,560 farmers.
“We hope to disburse Rs 10,000 crore to 10.25 lakh eligible farmers by the end of September this year. This includes Rs 4,000 crore of cooperative banks and Rs 6,000 crore of private and nationalised banks,” the state FM added.
Protesting anganwadi employees scale wall to enter FM’s function
Some anganwadi workers and helpers, protesting outside Manpreet’s office in the city for the past 94 days, scaled the boundary walls of the venue of the function and tried to disrupt proceedings.
Police had a tough time in controlling protesters. Later, they had to be bundled into buses and removed from the spot before the finance minister’s approval. Anganwadi employees, under the banner of the All-Punjab Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union, are demanding that anganwadi workers and helpers should be paid Rsd 10,000 and Rs 5,000 per month as salary, respectively. Their present salary is Rs 5,600 and Rs 2,800.
