Chandigarh, August 25: The Punjab government will provide full support to the farmers to prevent pollution caused by burning of paddy stubble. The benefit of the subsidy given to farmers on agricultural implements for handling paddy stubble and residue will be provided to the actual farmers. Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal held a meeting here today with the representatives of agriculture implements manufacturing units in which he gave a clear cut message that the Bhagwant Maan government will not tolerate any black marketing in the name of subsidy on agricultural implements.
The Agriculture Minister said that this meeting was called on the directions of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and said that the government has set new transparent norms with which the benefit of the subsidy on agricultural implements will be given directly to the farmers. He appealed to the representatives of the agricultural implements manufacturing units to ensure strict compliance with the standards laid down by the government while making agricultural implements and providing them to the farmers so that there is no hassle in providing subsidies.
Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal coming heavily on the previous governments said that due to the negligent approach of the previous governments, many genuine farmers did not get the benefit of the subsidy on agricultural implements and a scam of approximately Rs. 150 crores has come to light. He said that Vigilance will take action against all those who have done fraud in distribution of Agriculture Machinery, whether they are machine builders, dealers, officials of the agriculture department or farmers.
The Agriculture Minister also appealed to the agriculture implement manufacturers not to attempt any such blunder in the future as the Bhagwant Maan government will not spare any fraudster.
