Bhagwant Mann meets Amit Shah, Punjab's key issues take centre stage
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital on Saturday. During the meeting, several sensitive and important issues related to Punjab were discussed in detail.
In this meeting, various issues ranging from problems of the border area across the wire to seed bill, water dispute, food security and farmers related issues were raised prominently.
During the meeting, CM Mann stated that Punjab is an agricultural state, with its economy dependent on farmers. He expressed serious objection to the introduction of the Seed Bill in Parliament without consulting the Punjab government. Emphasizing this point, he said that before implementing any agricultural law or seed-related bill, it should be mandatory to obtain the consent and input of an agricultural state like Punjab.
The issue of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal was also raised prominently in the meeting. Furthermore, a demand was made for the appointment of a Punjab cadre officer to the position of General Manager (GM) at the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann shared details of the meeting in an X-post, writing, "Met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi today. During the meeting, we discussed several important issues in detail, including the trans-boundary border areas and the Seed Bill."
He further wrote, “Punjab is an agricultural state, so I raised the issue of not bringing the Seed Bill in Parliament without consulting Punjab. I also clarified that Punjab does not have surplus water, so the SYL issue should also be resolved. I demanded the appointment of an officer from Punjab cadre for the post of GM in FCI. I also talked about releasing Rs 8,500 crore for RDF, matters related to food and civil supplies and storage, and quick resolution of the problems faced by farmers in the border areas across the border during farming. The Home Minister assured me that all demands will be seriously considered.”