Keen to boost fruits cultivation, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced releasing Rs 8 crore for setting up litchi and peer estate in the state.
After meeting litchi, peer and guava growers, the Chief Minister asked the agriculture department to expedite the work to set up these estates which would be equipped with ultra modern laboratory, state-of-the art nursery and a pack house facility to ensure grading and packing of litchi and peer.
Badal said that all efforts must be made to ensure that these estates were functional at the earliest so that farmers of the state could be benefited from it.
Likewise, he also gave nod for establishing a litchi sub estate in Gurdaspur district for encouraging the farmers to adopt litchi cultivation.
In another significant decision, the Chief Minister asked the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to make concerted efforts to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the litchi, peer and guava cultivators during the months of April, May and June.
He directed the PSPCL to ensure regular power supply for atleast 10-15 hours as required by the cultivators during these months.
Acceding to the demand of litchi cultivators, the Chief Minister promised to raise the issue of providing two 'special bogeys' daily in Jammu bound trains towards Mumbai and Pune from Pathankot, with the Railways Minister.
He said this would curtail the transport cost of litchi cultivators to transit their produce to Mumbai and Pune, which were big markets for it.
Badal said he would personally seek the intervention of Union Railways Minister to attach two 'special bogeys' daily in Mumbai and Pune bound trains from June 10 to July 10.
The Chief Minister also agreed to explore the feasibility of evolving a price stabilisation mechanism for litchi, peers and guava to make its cultivation far more remunerative. He also asked the officers to ensure timely supply of pesticides and insecticides to the cultivators.
He said Punjab's stellar role towards the country's
progress is a testimony of the fact that if the state is strong then the country will be stronger.
"We have suffered a lot during the partition and it's high time that the union government must help the brave and patriotic people of Punjab," Badal said.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the SAD-BJP government has given top priority to strengthening the ethos of communal harmony, peace, amity and brotherhood in the state.
"We are leaving no stone unturned for achieving this twin goal," he added.
"Punjabis have penchant of creating history but for the first time efforts have been taken to preserve it for our younger generations", Badal said.
Earlier in his address, Prabhu lauded Badal for constructing the state-of-the art college, which will help in further cementing the bond between the people of Punjab and Maharashtra.
Announcing a slew of schemes for the state, Prabhu announced that the Rail Ministry will expedite the work on Amritsar-Ferozepur, Rajpura-Chandigarh, Rewari-Ludhiana and other important railway lines in the state.
Prabhu said that he had already asked the General Manager of Railways to look into the matter.
Pawar also lauded Badal for working relentlessly to safeguard the interests of state and its people besides strengthening unity and integrity in the country.
He said Badal is the leader of farmers of the country, who was always concerned for the uplifting the farming community.
The former Union Minister said that Badal is an example of how promises were fulfilled within a record span with full responsibility.
