Reiterating his commitment to bail out farmers from current "agrarian crisis", Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said Punjab government's initiative to promote and develop livestock, dairy, fisheries and equestrian sports was a step in this direction.
Speaking here after releasing the brochure of the 8th National Livestock Championship & Expo 2016 being held from January 8 to 12, 2016 at Muktsar Sahib, Badal said Punjab being an agrarian state, the lucrative business of cattle rearing has been promoted at a large scale to encourage youth to adopt this business as an alternative profession.
This championship was being organised for last seven years with an aim to bring awareness among the farmers to improve livestock breed of various cattle heads as viable alternatives for diversification of agriculture, the CM said.
He added that the state government was committed "to bail out the farmers from the current agrarian crisis".
He said in order to give a further push to the agriculture sector besides motivating the peasantry to adopt allied farming the state government has already decided to double the prize money for this championship this year to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore from Rs 1.25 crore last year.
Stressing the need to adopt allied sectors in farming, the Badal said in the present scenario mere dependence on agriculture was not profitable rather farmers should adopt allied farming in terms of dairy, piggery, goatary to enhance their income substantially.
"The low margin due to stagnated crop MSP coupled with high cost of agriculture inputs have now compelled the farmers to go far live stock sector to improve their economic lot," he said.
Horses, buffaloes, cows, sheep, goats from various states including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh would be participating in the championship, an initiative of state Department of Animal Husbandry, Fishery and Dairy Development & Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry.
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Badal said that while SAD-BJP alliance had been
providing free power to farmers, Amrinder had during his rule (2002-07) discontinued it thereby putting enormous burden on farmers."
"The state Congress Chief was also part and parcel of the conspiracy to rob waters of state by constructing Satluj Yamuna Link canal. Also, during his (Amarinder's) tenure as Chief Minister Captain (Amarinder) never initiated any scheme for the welfare of poor strata of society," Badal alleged.
Highlighting the significance of his government's public interface programme Sangat Darshan, the Chief Minister said that it was aimed at ensuring the well being of every strata of society.
He said that this was a pro-people exercise being conducted thoroughly in a transparent manner. "However, envious of development and welfare of people, the Congress leaders have always opposed it," he said.
