Th. Balwan Singh, Former MLA and General Secretary Pradesh Congress Committee has demanded special relief package for the farmers, especially paddy belt of Jammu Division who have suffered extensive loss of their crops.
Th Blawan Singh who conducted tour of different parts of Marh Constituency in Jammu District and held series of interactions with farming community said that farmers are in great economic disaster due to heavy loss to their paddy crops besides facing hardships for sowing the wheat crops need to be adequate relief compensated by way of special package.
Senior Congress leader said that there is almost total damage to the paddy crops besides the lowest ever market rate being offered to them in the absence of any Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) by the Government on the pattern of apple crop in Kashmir, has left the farming community economically and psychologically distress and genuinely resentful. He charged the BJP Government at the Centre and JK UT administration are totally neglecting and discriminating the farming community of world famous “Basmati Rise” belt in Jammu which totally unacceptable.
He regretted that the farmers of this belt are agitating for their genuine cause for the last over one month but the Centre and UT administration are unconcerned and only giving hollow statements and assurances which is very unfortunate as the BJP has totally failed in its duty towards them after getting huge mandate from the border population and came to power on their support. The farmers would take to street and expose the BJP’s double standard and neglect of their genuine issues if immediate relief package is not given to them.
He assured the farmers that congress party has always remained fore front on the issue of farming community in the country and would not be lagging behind in extending all sorts of support to their genuine struggle.
President Block Congress Committee Marh Ashwani Sharma; Ashok Kumar Saini, Dr. Bansi Lal, Rashpal Chand, Suaj Prakash and Mulak Raj also spoke in these meetings.