Punjab govt formally rejects Centre's draft agriculture policy, says 'framework damaging, unresponsive'
Centre had sent the draft policy to the state government on November 25 last year and asked to file response by January 10.
PTC Network: The Punjab government has rejected the Draft National Policy Framework on Agriculture Marketing on Thursday describing it as an attempt to bring back repealed farm laws. Stating the framework as infringement on rights, state government said that it is financially damaging and unresponsive to farmers’ grievances.
The state government in its reply to Centre said that agriculture is a state subject under Entry 28 of List II of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. “The Government of India should not come up with any such policy and should leave it to the wisdom of states to frame suitable policies on the subject, as per their concerns and requirements,” says the official letter sent by the Punjab Government.
Centre had sent the draft policy to the state government on November 25 last year and asked to file response by January 10. In its letter, the state government mentioned also pointed out that Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the crops is the key point in agriculture marketing policy which the centre failed to address in its policy. In an implicit manner, government highlighted MSP as heart of the ongoing farmers' protest at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.
Punjab government also flagged centre's emphasis to promote private agriculture market in an attempt to subside agricultural produce market committees and said that Punjab will not allow as it has a dense network of mandis that are serving the farmers well.