Punjab government promises eight hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers

Chandigarh: Punjab government on Tuesday promised eight hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers in the state for paddy sowing from June. “Punjab peasantry will get 8 hours uninterrupted power supply from June 15 in ensuing paddy sowing season,” state Agriculture Minister Tota Singh said in Chandigarh. While reviewing the prior arrangements for sowing of crops in kharif season, Singh said Punjab has taken all necessary arrangements to ensure uninterrupted eight hours power supply to peasantry. [caption id=“attachment_2252594” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] He claimed that this system of providing uninterrupted power will become fully operational from June 15, saying instructions in this regard have already been issued to power utility Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). He said if there is any change in the supply of power schedule, the village sarpanches, panches and agriculture officers of various districts will inform the farmers well in time. The minister also issued strict directions to all chief agriculture officers and district agriculture officers concerned to ensure completion of all arrangements before commencement of kharif season. More than 70 per cent of urea and 60 per cent of DAP was available available in the state, he said, directing the officers that there should be no scarcity of these fertilisers at any cost. He also instructed the officers to ensure the fair distribution of fertilisers besides launching state wide campaign to educate farmers about the reasonable use of fertilisers. Giving a call to state farmers to get the soils of their fields tested from the government labs in their respective areas, he said farmers should be aware of the deficiency of essential ingredients in their fields. He said that farmers should opt for certified seeds as the state has ample availability of seeds including paddy, maize and cotton. The Minister also emphasised on the need to focus on crop diversification programme, farm mechanisation and value addition component scheme to witness diversification on large scale. He said under this prestigious scheme, 21,576 agri-machines worth Rs 38.10 crore have been distributed amongst farmers in the state. Singh also asked the officers to make farmers educate and aware of the government policies and programmes. PTI