Laser marking mandatory on subsidized agricultural implements as per set norms: Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal
*Step taken to stop black marketing in the name of subsidies on agriculture implements
* Punjab Government to provide full assistance to farmers for stubble management – Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal
Ajay Verma (The Mirror Time)
Patiala, September 1:
Punjab government has ordered the marking of special numbers on the subsidized agricultural machinery with laser to stop black marketing in the name of subsidy on agriculture implements. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Punjab Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said this today after inspecting the Superseeder and other Agro-based machinery at the Agrizone Unit of GSAI Daulatpur village of Patiala. The Minister said that these numbers must be marked in a specific format as per the norms set by the government.
Interacting with the media on this occasion, Dhaliwal said that during the previous government rule subsidy scam of about 150 crore has come to the highlight in distribution of Agriculture machinery. Regarding which department enquiry has been completed and file has been handed over to the Chief Minister for Vigilance action.
The Agriculture Minister further said that the chief minister Bhagwant Mann led government has adopted zero tolerance towards corruption therefore the Agriculture Machine manufactures have been directed to mark a special number with the laser on the agricultural machinery to prevent black marketing. He said that the government provides 50 percent subsidy on agro machines which are given to farmers which help in stubble residue management. ‘Only those genuine farmers would be given subsidies on machines which will have laser embarked numbers on the machines’, added the agriculture Minister.
Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the Bhagwant Mann led Punjab government is sincerely working on to stop the practice of stubble burning by providing full assistance to farmers for crop residue management. ‘The Punjab government has taken some strong steps so that the subsidy on crop residue management machines should reach the genuine farmers and put an end to the black marketing in the name of subsidies.
The Minister further said that the Punjab government would encourage the agro industries those who follow the standards and norms set by the Punjab government and GOI while manufacturing the machines. He appealed to the agricultural implement manufacturing companies to ensure strict adherence to the standards set by the government while making agricultural implements and providing them to the farmers so that there is no problem in giving subsidies to the farmers.
MLAs Dr Balbir Singh, Gurlal Ghanour and Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra, Lok Sabha in-charge of AAP Inderjit Singh Sandhu, Urban President Tejinder Mehta, Secretary of Agriculture Department Arshdeep Singh Thind, Director Agriculture Dr. Gurvinder Singh, and other officials were also present on the occasion.