Punjab Newspaper

Shiromani Akali Dal President and Member Parliament Mr.Sukhbir Singh Badal, today called upon the Union Government to address the problems being faced by the farmers in the Country.
Mr.Sukhbir Singh Badal who led a delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal and BJP Parliamentarians from Punjab to meet Union Agriculture Minister Mr.Sharad Pawar here today, demanded in particular that new condition imposed by Govt. of India to produce the land records girdwari etc. on the cotton grower farmers of the Punjab State while they are coming to sale their cotton in the market, be immediately removed. He said that this was carving immense problems to cotton grower’s farmers in the state. He sought the personal intervention from the centre to immediately direct the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to continue procurement of cotton without insisting upon production of revenue record and instead accept the certificate issued by village Sarpanch/Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) certifying the prospective seller to be an actual farmer.
The delegation also met Mr. Shankar Singh Vaghela to raise these issues with Govt. of India. He said that Punjab farmers contribute 70% in the central pool but centre did nothing to reward them with incentives. He said that farming was no longer a lucrative profession as the prices of farm inputs vastly out of proportion to the farm produce.
Both the Union Ministers Mr.Sharad Pawar and Mr.Shanker Singh Vaghela gave the patient hearing of the problems of farmers raised by Mr.Sukhbir Singh Badal, before them and assured him to take the appropriate immediate action on it.
The delegation comprises Mr.Charanjit Singh Atwal,Deputy Speaker Lok Sabha, Mr.Naresh Gujral,Mr.Vinod Khanna, Mr.Raj Mohinder Singh Majitha, Mr.Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Mrs.Paramjit Kaur Gulshan,and Mr.Tarlochan Singh all M.Ps.
Mr.Amit Gosain BJP leader of Ludhiana, Mr.Balbir Singh Jangiara, General Secretary (SAD) Canada. Mr.Kikkar Singh Ex-M.P. and Mr. Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal Ex-MLA were also present.