Big news for Punjab farmers, path will be cleared for unhindered farming along the border: CM Bhagwant Mann

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and discussed the early and timely resolution of various pending issues concerning Punjab, including border security arrangements, agrarian crisis, inter-state water disputes and delay in disbursement of Rural Development Fund dues by the Centre. Highlighting the difficulties faced by farmers due to the border security wall being located far away from the Zero Line, the Chief Minister expressed concern over the large tracts of cultivable land lying between the international border and the barbed wire, forcing farmers to cross it daily to reach their fields.

The Punjab Chief Minister raised Punjab's objections to the proposed Seed Bill 2025, the unresolved Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) dispute, slow transportation of grains by FCI, withholding of commission agents, non-payment of Rural Development Fund (RDF) and market fees, and the reduction of Punjab's role in the Chandigarh administration, demanding an immediate and time-bound resolution of these issues.

Raising serious objections to the proposed Seed Bill 2025, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, "Punjab is an agricultural state and contributes significantly to the country's food reserves, yet the draft Seed Bill does not ensure the state's representation as scheduled under the relevant section. The zone-based system introduced in the bill, unlike the current system, does not guarantee Punjab's representation on the Central Seed Committee, thereby suppressing the state's voice in decisions directly affecting the seed sector."

The Punjab Chief Minister further said, “The proposed Seed Bill reduces the existing powers of the state as the State Seed Committee has no role in seed registration and the draft also does not talk about ensuring a robust compensation framework for farmers who suffer losses due to non-promising results from registered seeds.”

The Chief Minister further stated that seed varieties tested and abandoned abroad are being allowed for import and sale in Punjab and other states without mandatory local testing under the state's agro-climatic conditions, posing serious risks to farmers. He said that agriculture is the backbone of Punjab, where farmers grow crops, sell a portion of their produce, and store seeds for the next season. He said that forcing farmers to depend entirely on companies for seeds is neither fair nor in their best interest. He appealed that the bill should not be brought before Parliament in its current form. He said that the Union Home Minister has assured to investigate the issues.

Reiterating Punjab's clear stand on river water, the Chief Minister said, "Punjab has no surplus water to share with any other state. The availability of water from the Sutlej, Ravi, and Beas has declined significantly, and therefore, the construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal is not feasible."

He stated that of the 34.34 MAF of water from these rivers, Punjab was allocated only 14.22 MAF, which is approximately 40 percent, and the remaining 60 percent was allocated to Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan. However, none of these rivers actually flow through these states. He stated that this is a grave injustice to Punjab and that the construction of this canal is out of the question as it is completely against the interests of the state and its people. He emphasized that Punjab's stand before the Supreme Court is clear that it has no surplus water to give to any other state.

Highlighting the problems of grain transportation and storage, the Chief Minister said, "FCI has been transporting only 4 to 5 lakh metric tons of wheat and 5 to 6 lakh metric tons of rice from the state in the last five months. 95 lakh metric tons of rice are to be delivered for the 2025-26 Kharif marketing season, but only 20 lakh metric tons of space is currently available."

He said that to ensure timely delivery of custom milled rice for Kharif Procurement Season 2025-26 and adequate availability of storage space for wheat during Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2026-27 starting from 01.04.2026, it is necessary to transport at least 20 lakh metric tonnes of grain (10 LMT each for wheat and rice) from the state on a monthly basis. He appealed for running special trains to transport the stock, saying that Punjab contributes about 125 LMT of wheat to the national pool and proper storage is essential for national food security.

Speaking on the issue of commission agents, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The commission of commission agents has been frozen from the procurement season 2019-20 in contravention of the provisions of the Punjab Agricultural Produce and Marketing Act, 1961 and currently the commission has been limited to Rs 46 per quintal for wheat and Rs 45.88 per quintal for paddy.”

He stated that commission agents for grain procurement at silos have been reduced to half the rate in regular markets, and the committee formed to revise commissions in January 2024 has not yet made a decision. He said, "Commission agents are not agents; they provide essential services and deserve their due. The delay in revising commissions could hinder the state's smooth procurement process, and rates should be finalized soon."

Raising the issue of non-disbursement of Rural Development Funds, the Chief Minister said, "Despite clear legal provisions under the relevant Punjab Acts, the RDF has not been disbursed to the State Government. He added that although the State Government has amended the Punjab Rural Development Act under the directives of the Government of India, it is unfortunate that the RDF has not been disbursed since the Kharif procurement season 2021-22."

He stated that ₹9,030.91 crore in RDF funds and ₹2,267.83 crore in market fees are pending. He added that the lack of dues has adversely affected rural infrastructure development. He added, "RDF is not a charity. It is Punjab's right, and we are demanding ours." He said the Union Home Minister assured him that a meeting would be held soon to discuss releasing the first installment.

Highlighting administrative concerns, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann stressed that maintaining the long-standing 60:40 ratio of officers from Punjab and Haryana in the Union Territory of Chandigarh is the need of the hour. He said that Punjab IAS and PCS officers have been excluded from key positions in the Chandigarh Administration and posts in departments such as Excise, Education, Finance, and Health are being opened up to State/UT cadres, adversely affecting Punjab's role in the effective functioning of the UT Administration. He said the Union Home Minister assured him that the existing ratio will be maintained.

The Chief Minister also raised the issue of appointing a Punjab cadre officer as General Manager of FCI Punjab, stating that Punjab cadre officers possess essential knowledge of grain procurement, markets, storage, and transportation. He noted that historical data shows that regular appointments to this post have been made from the Punjab cadre, while officers from other cadres have only held temporary charge. He urged adherence to this rule in the interest of efficiency and national food security.

Raising the issue of border areas, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, "According to international rules, the wall should be 150 meters away from the zero line, but in many areas of Punjab, the border barbed wire is located two to three kilometers inside." He said that thousands of acres of cultivable land lie beyond this fence, forcing farmers to show their identity cards daily and cultivate their fields under BSF protection. He said, "If the fence is rebuilt near the international border, a large area of ​​Indian land will come on this side of the wall, allowing farmers to cultivate without fear and daily restrictions, without compromising national security." He further said that the Union Home Minister informed him that the issue is under consideration and that similar arrangements.