Decode Punjab: ‘There is a need to cut subsidies’

Punjab: Ajay Vir Jakhar, former chairman of Punjab Farmers’ and Farm Workers’ Commission, said: “Punjab is quickly coming to a situation where endless subsidies will have to end in one form or the other. The power subsidy should be curtailed and given only to farmers having up to seven or 10 acres of land.”

The draft agriculture policy of the government had been in focus during the recent farmers’ protest in Chandigarh. Jakhar, in an interview with The Tribune as part of its Decode Punjab digital series, reiterated the recommendation of curtailing power subsidy, which he made in the Farm Policy brought out by the commission during the Congress regime.

“Someone will have to take a political call on this. When there is a problem of finances, the bigger shoulders have to bear bigger burden. Resources available with the state are limited. The state government wants control on the policy, but does not wants to take responsibility of free power and fill vacancies of extension officers at the PAU and GADVASU,” he said.

“The last few CMs have placed personal interests over the state’s welfare. The average income in Punjab is now below the national average. Rural indebtedness is high. This is because of incompetence in leadership. I think the best legacy that these CMs can have is that the future generations forget them,” he said.

Talking about why crop diversification would not be encourage, Jakhar said, “Cultivation of paddy is like an intoxicant injected into Punjab’s economy by the Centre. We cannot hide from the fact that even the state government does not want to diversify as revenue will get hit. Around Rs 70,000 crore is flowing into the state’s economy each year from paddy cultivation. Neither does the state have the capability to shift to other crops, nor can farmers earn more profit by growing crops other than paddy.”