A budget of Rs 5,000 crore for sustainable agriculture and organic farming, free rainwater harvesting units to check depleting water table and promotion of allied agriculture sectors are some of the promises made by the BJP and allies PLC and SAD (Sanyukt) for the February 20 Punjab assembly polls.
An 11-point ‘Sankalp' (commitments) document was released here on Tuesday, especially for the rural areas of the state.
While advocating promotion of sports in villages, the BJP and its allies also promised cash rewards to medal winners in international and national games on the lines of Haryana.
The Sankalp was released by Union Minister and BJP's Punjab election in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, SAD (Sanyukt) chief Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and BJP leaders Harjit Singh Grewal and Subhash Sharma.
The BJP is fighting the Punjab assembly polls in alliance with former chief minister Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt).
The BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt) alliance had already promised debt waiver for farmers having less than 5 acres of land, MSP for fruits, vegetables, pulses and oilseeds, one lakh acres of Shamlat land for rural landless farmers for cultivation and Rs 6,000 annual financial assistance for every landless farmer under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sanman Yojana when it had released the Sankalp document a few days ago.
Addressing the media here, Shekhawat said annual budget of Rs 5,000 crore will be sanctioned for sustainable agriculture and organic farming if the alliance comes to power in the state.
He further said subsidy will be given to farmers for the installation of solar tubewells and solar panels on canals.
He also said that seed banks will be established for important traditional seed varieties of various regions of the state.
According to the 11-point Sankalp for rural areas, pending irrigation projects will be completed and new projects will be launched under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana.
To check depleting water table in the state, free of cost rainwater harvesting units will be installed and also subsidies will be given for alternative automated and smart irrigation systems which will help in water conservation.
The BJP-PLC-SAD (Sanyukt) alliance also promised promotion of allied agriculture sectors, including dairy farming, poultry farming, apiculture, setting up of new cold storages and subsidy and loans to women belonging to backward classes, scheduled castes and economically weaker sections for venturing into dairy, poultry and beekeeping sectors.
It also promised promotion of rural entrepreneurship and interest and collateral-free loans to the rural youth for promoting micro, small and medium enterprises.
It also promised quality education in rural areas with high-quality smart schools and free bus services for students for going to educational institutions.
The alliance also promised playgrounds at village level, world-class facilities for grooming international-level hockey players and Kabaddi tournaments in rural areas.
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