DW BUREAU / Kurukshetra

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday announced the procurement of all crops in the state at minimum support price and the waiving of Rs 133 crore in outstanding canal water irrigation charges, as the BJP launched its assembly election campaign in the state.

After the ruling party suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha elections, Saini has announced several sops to reach out to various sections ahead of assembly polls due later this year.

Addressing the party's 'Vijay Shankhnad' rally here, Saini said the BJP government in the state is currently procuring 14 crops at MSP.

"I am happy to state that in the last 10 years, the state government purchased 14 crops at MSP. Today, nine more crops are pending.

"All crops in Haryana will now be bought at MSP by our government. I announce this today," said Saini.

Saini said the state government also waived the outstanding 'abiana' ( canal water for irrigation) charge of Rs 133 crore. It will benefit farmers to the tune of Rs 54 crore per annum, he said.

He also announced the payment of pending compensation of Rs 137 crore within a week to farmers who suffered crop damage because of natural calamity in Rohtak, Nuh, Fatehabad and Sirsa before 2023.

This amount will be transferred to the accounts of the farmers, he said.

The CM said now farmers will be allowed to buy a three-star motor from anywhere in the country for new tubewell connections. At present, only 10 companies of three-star motors are registered in the state. Now all the companies manufacturing three-star motors in the country will come on the panel of Haryana and farmers will be able to buy three-star motors from any company at their convenience, he said.

This will provide great relief to the farmers applying for new tubewell connections till December 31, 2023, said Saini. Apart from this, the cost of a transformer will not be taken from a farmer if the electricity transformer gets damaged. These transformers will be replaced by the electricity corporations at their own expense, he said.

Among those present at the rally were Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is also the BJP election in-charge of the state, Union ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Krishan Pal Gurjar and former minister Kiran Choudhary.

However, former Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij was conspicuous of his absence.

During his address, Saini said that the 'Vijay Shankhnad' rally will be organised in all the 90 assembly segments ahead of the assembly elections to inform the people about the development and welfare work done during the last 10 years of the BJP rule in Haryana.

It will also expose the 10 years of "misrule" of the Congress under Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said Saini.

"The BJP always gives details about its work done for the benefit of the people, but what has the Congress done for them," he asked.

Attacking the leader of opposition in the state assembly, Saini said that Hooda and his son who were holding rallies "Haryana Mange Hissab" must account (hissab) for farmers' land that was "looted on behalf of many companies and builders and corruption in the change of land use and government jobs". Now all government funds reach the poorest of the poor and the atmosphere of "bhay" (fear), corruption, casteism, and regionalism that prevailed during the Congress regime had been removed, he alleged.

"We have converted the hopelessness of the people to hope by introducing various welfare schemes for women and other segments of society and these are being replicated by other states now," said Saini.

He lauded the Agnipath scheme for short-term military recruitment and noted that the Haryana government has announced 10 per cent reservation in jobs to ex-Agniveers besides a relaxation of three years in age and loans up to Rs 5 lakh for starting some businesses.

Saini called upon the BJP workers to take a pledge to visit every household to explain policies and work done by the state government so that the BJP forms its government for a third time in Haryana.

The BJP, which swept all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, won five in 2024 and its vote share dipped from 58 per cent to 46 per cent.

The Congress bounced back with five seats this time, with its vote share increasing from 28 per cent in 2019 to 43 per cent.

Union minister Pradhan said Haryana's growth is a must for the overall growth of the country and to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Viksat Bharat" dream by 2047.

He claimed that the BJP gave a clean government by curbing corruption and providing jobs without any "parchi" (corruption).

On the other hand, the Congress's rule was full of corruption, he alleged.
(editor@dailyworld.in)