India News | Cong MP Bajwa Writes to Punjab CM, Seeks Separate Budget for Agri Sector
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, demanding a separate budget for the agriculture sector of the state.
Chandigarh, Aug 14 (PTI) Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, demanding a separate budget for the agriculture sector of the state.
He pointed out that the government of Tamil Nadu has announced its first separate agricultural budget for the state on the eve of 75th Independence Day.
“The DMK Government under M K Stalin has shown its seriousness in dealing with problems of the agricultural sector in the southern state,” wrote the Rajya Sabha MP.
“The budget of Tamil Nadu has looked into promoting organic farming, building local weekly markets for agricultural produce, promoting vegetable/herbal/fruit production. By laying a separate agricultural budget, Tamil Nadu is now the third state in India, after Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, to do so,” he said.
He said agriculture has historically been the culture of Punjab.
“Our success during the Green Revolution has ensured that the state has become the food bowl of India. Nevertheless, today Punjab stands at the threshold of a second green revolution. There is an urgent need to diversify from the paddy/wheat cycle to ensure the safety of future generations of farmers,” he said.
Without urgent action, agriculture in the state would be irrevocably damaged, said Bajwa.
He said it is important to have a separate agricultural budget.
“Such a budget would allow greater stakeholder consultation between farmers, agriculturalists and allied industries with the government. This would allow for a more targeted, focused approach to agricultural policy in the state,” he wrote.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)