Patiala, July 17, 2019: Currently, Punjab is passing through an unprecedented agriculture crisis and is in the grip of grave agrarian distress. Therefore to address this alarming crisis Punjab immediately needs an independent and full time agriculture minister who could devote his time and energy to address the sagging agro-economy and other related issues.
Stating this here, Bir Devinder Singh, former Deputy Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha and Senior Vice President of SAD (Taksali) says it is pathetic that many people in Punjab do not even know as to who the state agriculture minister is due to non-performance of such minister.
“Even I had to search on Google and discovered that Capt. Amarinder Singh is holding the portfolio of Agriculture Minister,” says Bir Devinder.
“I routinely get ten newspapers everyday and read them thoroughly, thereafter analyze the important news items besides important write ups. Nowhere in the past two years could I lay my hands on any discernible news item where Capt. Amarinder Singh is actively engaged as Agriculture Minister Punjab giving direction to the agriculture policy of the state or speaking on the idea of crop diversification and giving achievable targets to his ministry,” adds Bir Devinder.
“Punjab needs serious policy direction in view of the alarming situation in overexploiting the ground water for paddy cultivation which is the cause of fast depleting ground water level.
Punjab is fast heading towards the acute shortage of drinking water if stringent measures are not taken to save the ground water, meaning thereby that the Punjab farmers will have to abandon the paddy sowing in Punjab completely.”
Bir Devinder suggests that a new crop pattern has to be evolved with the help of Agriculture University and soil scientists.
“At present, 14.5 lakh tubewells are engaged unabated to pump out the ground water for the paddy cultivation.
Punjab should have reduced its area under paddy cultivation in a phased manner, much before such a brazen overexploitation of ground water. Now water depletion table has gone so deep (215 feet) that it has completely changed the kind, condition and behavior of the first layer of the soil and the subsoil to accept the diversified crop cycle,” says Bir Devinder.
“Therefore integrated day and night relentless efforts are required to address and monitor all the activities of the agriculture department. Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh should immediately evaluate his own performance as agriculture minister, applying similar parameters as done in the case of Navjot Singh Sidhu to evaluate his performance as local body minister.”
Bir Devinder said people of Punjab would expect from Capt. Amarinder Singh that he would honestly share the status of his report card, after self-appraisal. I am sure that he would discover the fact that his performance as agriculture minister is hopelessly inadequate; thus warranting a full time independent Agriculture Minister for Punjab.