CHANDIGARH: ” The state government is making all efforts but we are not getting the funds we deserve from the Centre whether it’s Rural Development Fund or under the National Health Mission,’’ said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.Addressing the audience on the last day of Punjab Vision 2047 a two-day conclave organized by the World Punjabi Organisation in association with the Punjab Development Commission and Panjab University, Mann on the issue of air pollution, said the Central government is ignoring the problem by not incentivising farmers. ” We had already submitted that the Centre should either allocate Rs 2,000 per acre to farmers to manage paddy straw or offer support price and procurement for alternative crops like maize, bajra, and moong so that farmers make as much profit as they make from paddy,” he pointed out.Mann also talked about the initiatives taken by the state government to improve government schools and the formation of self-help groups of women for their financial independence. “Punjab will see an industrial resurgence soon as big players like Tata Steel are setting up plants in the state. We also need to focus on food processing units to increase profit from farming,” he added.Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament and organiser of ‘Punjab Vision 2047’, Dr Vikramjit Singh Sahney stressed the need to engage youth in modern agriculture and the opening of the Wagah border for ease of trade with Pakistan and central Asian countries. ” As MP I keep raising the issue of non-disbursal of funds to Punjab and we should push this further especially given the upcoming Parliamentary session. All the MPs can come together to deliberate on a strategy to raise issues concerning Punjab’s interests during the zero hour,” he added.
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