DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal today demanded the central government allocate Rs 5,000 crore for ground water recharging and Rs 3,000 for revamping the irrigation network besides providing funds for potable water and micro irrigation projects.

In a spirited speech on the budget in parliament today, the Bathinda MP said it was extremely unfortunate that Punjab was being allocated Rs 125 crore per year for agriculture which amounted to 0.65 per cent of the union budget. "This despite the fact that Punjab provides 40 per cent of the total food grains to the national food grain pool".

Giving further details, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said 78 per cent of the total ground water blocks in Punjab were in a critical condition with 18 out of the 23 districts being over exploited. "We are extracting 65 per cent more than required". She also detailed how the 150 year old irrigation network was in a state of disrepair and needed urgent funds to revamp it.

The MP also detailed how the Riparian policy was not followed by the previous Congress government due to which a large portion of the State's river waters were given to Rajasthan. She said due to this Punjab was witnessing a shortage of funds during times of need due ti which ground water supply was being over used even as it was suffering during periods of flooding. "Farmers have even failed to get compensation for the massive floods of 2023 during which time chief minister Bhagwant Mann promised to even compensate farmers for livestock losses but did nothing".

Raising the issue of pollution of its river waters and lack of any national initiative to tackle the issue, Mrs Badal said this had increased the incidence of cancer, especially in her constituency. She said funds needed to be allocated for this as well as those for provision of potable water and micro irrigation.

(editor@dailyworld.in)