BADAL REJECTS HIKE OF RS.20/- PER QUINTAL IN MSP OF WHEAT

CHANDIGARH, NOVEMBER 5:

The Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today rejected the hike of Rs. 20/- per quintal in Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Wheat announced by the Centre, raising it to Rs. 1100/- from last year’s Rs. 1080/- per quintal and described it as ‘woefully inadequate and unjustified’.

In a statement, Mr. Badal said that a meager hike of Rs. 20/- was nothing but a cruel joke with the beleaguered farmers who were already in distress due to low returns on their produce despite exorbitant cost of agricultural inputs incurred by them on diesel, fertilizers, pesticides etc. He further said that the Centre’s decision to hike the MSP of Wheat by just Rs. 20/- per quintal could never be the answer to the agony of the farming community. Mr. Badal said that the Centre should have realized the sad plight of the farmers, which compelled them to take extreme step to end their lives.

The Chief Minister said that the non-remunerative MSP coupled with anti-farmer policies of Centre was primarily responsible for the decline of the growth rate of Agriculture sector. The Chief Minister said that his government had been constantly pleading the case of Punjab's peasantry with the Centre and even he personally met the Prime Minister and Union Agricultural Minister several times and demanded MSP of Wheat at least Rs. 1400 per quintal.

The Chief Minister said that Centre should had appreciated the immense contribution of Punjab farmers to make our country self sufficient in food production to ensure national food security. He said instead of rewarding them with remunerative MSP, the Centre had actually demoralized them by making the agriculture a non-viable profession due to its wrong policies.

PUNJABTO FLOAT RS. 200 CRORE LOAN

Chandigarh, November 05 : The Punjab government in consultation with Reserve Bank of India(RBI) today floated Rs. 200 crore(nominal) loan to finance part of Capital Expenditure of Plan Schemes and other development schemes under execution.
According to an official spokesman the State government today notified the sale of Punjab Government Stock (Securities) of 10 year tenure for a aggregate amount of Rs. 200 crore (Nominal). The spokesman said that consent of Central government has already been obtained to the floatation of this loan.

The spokesman said that the government stock would be sold through RBI Mumbai by auction that would be conducted by them in his Mumbai office on November 10, 2009. The application form duly filled in with the Competitive and non- competitive bids should be submitted in electronic format, on the Negotiated Dealing System (NDS)to the RBI, Mumbai on November 10, 2009 by 12.30 P.M and 11.30 AM respectively. Result of auction would be displayed on November 11, 2009 and successful bidders would make payment on November 11, 2009.

The spokesman added that this 10 year tenure loan would be repaid at par on November 11, 2019. He said that interest will be paid every half yearly on May 11 and November 11 and cut off yield determined at the auction would be the coupon rate percent per annum of the stock sold at the auction.

SIX NEW ICDS PROJECTS, 5267 AANGANWARI CENTERS AND 1220 MINI AANGANWARI CENTERS FOR PUNJAB-CH. SWARNA RAM

Chandigarh November 5

Six new projects under Integrated Children Development Services (ICDS), 5267 Aanganwari Centers and 1220 Mini Aanganwari Centers have been approved for Punjab.

Disclosing this here today Social Security and Development of Women & Children Minister Punjab Ch. Swarna Ram said that these projects have been sanctioned for Ludhiana-A, Amritsar-A, Kharar-2, Kotkapura-2, Sunam-2 and Abohar-2 would be setup soon. Besides, 5267 Aanganwari Centers and 1220 Mini Aangarwari Centers would also be opened in other blocks of the state.

He further said that 6 posts of Child Development Project officers, 211 posts of Supervisors, 6 Senior Assistants, 6 clerks and 6 peon has already been sanctioned under this project. Besides, these posts 5267 Aanganwari workers, 5267 Aanganwari helpers for Aanganwari Centers and 1220 posts of Aanganwari workers for Mini Aanganwari Centers would be filled upto November 30,2009 through Panchayati Raj Institutions.

Aanganwari workers would be paid honorarium of Rs. 2100/- and Aanganwari helpers would be paid Rs. 1050/- per month, he added.

Newly Dairy Training

Chandigarh ,Nov.5

With a view to promote Dairy Farming in the State, S. Gulzar Singh Ranike Animal Husbandry Dairy Development and Fisheries Minister Punjab will inaugurate newly Dairy Training and expansion Centre being set up at village Gill in Distt Moga on November , 12 ,2009. A technical session would also be held after inauguration in which experts from Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University Ludhiana would deliver the lecture regarding modern techniques to promote dairy farming in the state.