DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

With farmers protesting against delay in implementation of state's new agriculture policy, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday assured the policy draft will be shared with them by September 30 and their suggestions will be incorporated before its implementation.

Mann stated this after holding an over two-hour meeting with the farmer leaders of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) and Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union (PKMU) to discuss their demands.

Farmers under the banner of BKU (Ugrahan) and the PKMU on Sunday began their five-day protest here in support of their various demands including implementation of the agricultural policy.

Asked about their further course of action following the meeting with the chief minister, BKU (Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said they will take a call on their protest in Chandigarh after holding their meeting on Friday.

During Thursday's meeting, Mann assured farmers that the state government is committed to safeguard their interests and the new agriculture policy will be a step forward in this direction. Mann said the draft of the agriculture policy is ready but it will be finalised only after due deliberations with food growers.

He said the draft will be shared with the farmers by September 30 and their suggestions will be sought on the policy.

Suggestions of farmers will be duly incorporated in the policy as the state government does not want to impose anything on food growers and rather it is committed to consult them for making agriculture a profitable venture, he said.

Ugrahan said farmers were informed in the meeting that a 1,600-page draft of the agriculture policy will be shared with them by September 30.

The meeting was also attended by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, Power minister Harabhajan Singh, Chief Secretary Anurag Verma, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav and other officials.

Mann, while speaking on another agenda, said the state government is also mulling over introducing a One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme to offer relief to debt-ridden farmers who have been struggling to repay loans to the state cooperative banks.

Every effort will be made to bail out farmers of the state from the ongoing agrarian crisis, he asserted.

On the issue of withdrawal of cases registered against the leaders of farmers' unions, the chief minister asked the officers to explore the feasibility in this regard.

Mann assured farmers that the state government will re-examine the rejected cases pertaining to compensation in suicides committed by farmers and labourers.
(editor@dailyworld.in)