Chandigarh October 31:
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir SIngh Badal today said that he would meet the Prime Minister "soon after the latter's return to the capital to press for an immediate and positive decision" to relax paddy procurement norms and specifications on damage, discoloration and moisture content in the produce.
Mr Badal would head a delegation of party MPs and impress upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to put in a place a 'permanent and structured policy from the Centre to deal with such emergencies in future too.
"Why is there such an ad hoc and knee-jerk response from the government of India to the farmers' problems every time there is an emergency? Can't we have a permanent, long term policy to deal with such emergencies? Is it not possible to factor problems like unseasonal rains, inclement weather, hailstorms or other natural calamities into our overall long term policy on food and agriculture? Why should the farmers have to beg or agitate for relief every time they face a natural calamity?
Are they not a part of the Congress vision of 'Aam Admi'?", he asked, adding that "farm and defence sectors must be treated at par as both pertain to the issue of our survival." He said that in such a policy, there should be a provision for an automatic response, without waiting for fresh governmental instructions. The Centre, he said, must put in place a permanent and in-built mechanism for damage-assessment.
"There should be no need for teams of experts to be ordered on ad hoc basis. There should be a permanent Experts Committee, comprising farmers and farm experts, to report to the government about the state of the weather and its impact on crops every season without having to be asked to do so. The government must be under an obligation to respond to the Committee's assemen of the crisis", he said.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir SIngh Badal today said that he would meet the Prime Minister "soon after the latter's return to the capital to press for an immediate and positive decision" to relax paddy procurement norms and specifications on damage, discoloration and moisture content in the produce.
Mr Badal would head a delegation of party MPs and impress upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to put in a place a 'permanent and structured policy from the Centre to deal with such emergencies in future too.
"Why is there such an ad hoc and knee-jerk response from the government of India to the farmers' problems every time there is an emergency? Can't we have a permanent, long term policy to deal with such emergencies? Is it not possible to factor problems like unseasonal rains, inclement weather, hailstorms or other natural calamities into our overall long term policy on food and agriculture? Why should the farmers have to beg or agitate for relief every time they face a natural calamity?
Are they not a part of the Congress vision of 'Aam Admi'?", he asked, adding that "farm and defence sectors must be treated at par as both pertain to the issue of our survival." He said that in such a policy, there should be a provision for an automatic response, without waiting for fresh governmental instructions. The Centre, he said, must put in place a permanent and in-built mechanism for damage-assessment.
"There should be no need for teams of experts to be ordered on ad hoc basis. There should be a permanent Experts Committee, comprising farmers and farm experts, to report to the government about the state of the weather and its impact on crops every season without having to be asked to do so. The government must be under an obligation to respond to the Committee's assemen of the crisis", he said.
