Khangura asks Badal to come clean on Productivity bonus, Rs 800 cr - 20/09/2010

Qila Raipur MLA Jassi Khangura today asked the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to come clean and clear on the productivity bonus to the farmers and the special grant of Rs 800 crore central grant for the farmers.

Reacting to the decisions taken by the cabinet on Sunday, Khangura pointed out, although the government had agreed to pay the bonus after a long delay of nine months and following the continuous protests by the farmers, it was still not clear as how and when the productivity bonus will be paid to the farmers. “Even the sincerity of the government was doubtful as it appears it was trying to bide time”, he remarked, while adding, “these are all the hallmarks of bankrupt and cash starved government”.

Similarly, Khangura said, the government was simply lying about the Rs 800 crore grant provided by the centre for disbursing among the draught hit farmers by claiming that it was meant for the Punjab State Electricity Corporation (PSEC).

Khangura said, the government was saying productivity bonus will be paid to the farmers in lieu of the electricity bills paid by them for consumption of electricity for agriculture pump sets. But when and how this bonus will be paid to them is a million dollar question, he remarked.

He said, the Badal government was never sincere about the productivity bonus because no follow up action was taken. It was only after prolonged protests by farmers that on August 13 that a committee headed by Chief Secretary was constituted to work out as how the bonus will be paid. Even the Sunday’s cabinet decision was taken only after the threat of agitation from the farmers.

About the Rs 800 crore central grant, Khangura said the Punjab government was lying that it was not meant for the farmers but the PSEC. He said, the Punjab government had claimed this money from the centre for compensating the draught farmers and shockingly now it was backing out.

He said, from the government’s own admission earlier, the money was meant for the farmers. He pointed out, on August 10 the Chief Minister's principal secretary Darbara Singh Guru, who had called on the agitating farmers at the dharna site on Mohali-Chandigarh border on Sector 51-52 dividing road to assure them that a high-level panel has been formed to work out early disbursement of Rs 800 crore Centre's package among state peasants. And now the government was claiming that the money was meant for the Power Corporation.

The Qila Raipur MLA observed, it was quite typical of Badal. “First he delays and postpones decisions and then he simply backs out”, he remarked, while adding, “for a long time the farmers’ money was kept by the government and now they were bluntly told that it was not meant for them”.