Punjab CM determined to implement RIL project

Unfazed by opposition from within ruling Congress and main opposition party Shiromani Akali Dal to the allotment of land to Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) for setting up of agricultural hubs in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said his government was firm on implementing the project in larger interest of the farming community.

Addressing a public rally here, Singh said out of the 302 hubs 52 were major hubs and remaining 250 were minor ones which would provide the farmers with inputs such as quality seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, weedicides as well as hi-tech facilities such as drip irrigation and net/green houses etc.

He told the media in Chandigarh the company had engaged 400 trained manpower to execute the project in Punjab. "We expect to give the final approval to the project in a week's time", he added.

He said a large number of Punjab farmers would benefit from the project as growing fruits and vegetables would give the farmers two to three times more income than traditional farming.

He said the hubs would impart the training to the farmers, facilitate micro irrigation to contain the dwindling water table in the state, expand dairy farming, implement education projects for the primary and middle education and entertainment hubs for the rural population.

According to Singh, it would add value to the economic and social structure of Punjab.

He charged former chief minister and president SAD Parkash Singh Badal with making attempts to "scuttle this project for his political and vested narrow interests."

The akalis were apprehensive of the fact that if farmers of Punjab, whom they claimed as their vote bank, once became economically self reliant, would go out of their hands for ever, he added.

The Chief Minister categorically said that Punjab missed a few important projects in the recent past as other states offered more lucrative sites to the investors.

"This project had immense growth potential for the state and I will neither make any compromise this time nor bow down to the resistence of opposition parties", he announced.

Singh said 161 mega projects at an investment of Rs 63,000 crore with an employment potential of 16 lakh jobs would certainly change the scenario of the state.

He claimed that the Congress government had made concerted efforts to motivate the big industrial houses - both Indian and foreign - to choose Punjab as the most preferred destination for invetment.

Six rural hubs would be operational by the year end and bulk of the project would be through in the next year.

He clarified that the land would be provided to the company on leaset by the farmers. The 20 acre land of Punjab Mandi Board in Mohali would be acquired by the company but the price has not been decided.

On the overall development and progress in the state, Singh said the Planning Commission had approved the development package of Rs 2,050 crore and forwarded it to the union ministry of finance for the release of funds.

Singh said he had called on union Finance Minister P Chidambaram last week at Delhi and urged him to immediately grant sanction for the release of funds to enable the state government to execute various infrastructure and development oriented schemes to put the state on the high growth trajectory.

He said that the Centre had already released Rs 100 crore to the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, for pursuing research and development work in agriculture and allied sector.

On the power sector, the chief minister said that the government was purchasing power worth Rs 14 crore daily from Rajasthan, Kerala, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and now the state has even tied up with the government of Bhutan to buy power in the near future.