Shiromani Akali Dal's Initiative to Support Farmers Affected by Punjab Rains
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Chandigarh, April 7 (NationPress) The President of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sukhbir Badal, announced on Tuesday that the party will implement a comprehensive plan to assist farmers facing distress due to crop damage affecting over 1.25 lakh acres. He criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab for neglecting these farmers.
During a rally in Budhlada town as part of the Punjab Bachao campaign, Badal stated, “We are devising a strategy to supply wheat, along with green and dry fodder, to the farmers who have been adversely impacted.”
The details of this initiative will be discussed in a meeting with the party's district presidents and halka in-charges in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
Badal emphasized that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has abandoned the farmers, noting that they are still awaiting compensation for their paddy crops destroyed by last year's floods.
“Now, following the unseasonal rains and hailstorms that have devastated wheat crops across 1.25 lakh acres, these farmers have yet to receive immediate compensation, despite promises from the AAP,” he added.
He accused AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal of dishonesty, claiming that Kejriwal falsely stated in Gujarat that the AAP government had provided compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre to Punjab farmers within a month after last year's floods. Badal remarked that the fabrications of AAP and CM Mann are boundless.
“Even though it is evident that incidents of sacrilege began in Punjab after AAP's arrival in 2014, the Chief Minister today asserted that I am responsible for these acts. If this is true, why hasn’t he taken legal action against me?” he questioned.
Badal also addressed the alliance between AAP and Congress, which he described as a desperate effort to halt SAD's momentum in the state.
He pointed out that Punjab Congress President Raja Amarinder Singh Warring is echoing the sentiments of the Chief Minister.
Additionally, Badal revealed plans to establish a hospital comparable to AIIMS in Mansa and a veterinary college.
He committed to upgrading all link roads and connecting all ‘dhanis’ with new roads.
Moreover, he pledged that concrete streets and drains would be constructed in all 12,500 villages across the state, ensuring every family has access to a ‘pucca’ home.
During the event, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal highlighted how the former SAD government invested Rs 800 crore in irrigation projects specifically in Budhlada.
She criticized the AAP government for its repeated failures to provide compensation to farmers affected by floods, bollworm infestations, and hailstorms.