BATHINDA: The farmers' political front, Sanyukt Samaj Morcha, has assured to form a 'Save Farmers Commission' to ensure assured income of every farmer family of Rs 25,000 per month.
It has also assured to frame Kartarpuri model as envisaged by Guru Nanak Dev on the lines of Uttam Kheti while being in farming at Kartarpur before his demise, it will go by the ill-effects of green revolution and will ensure minimum support price to oil seeds, pulses to pull farmers out of the rotation of wheat-paddy and make way for diversification.
Releasing its election manifesto 'Iqrarnama' (agreement), the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha also assured to make provision of return of the land acquired by government or any private industrial house for any specific purpose if the project fails to materialise.
It will ensure that village primary agreement cooperative societies (PACS) will open stores and provide agricultural implements to farmers without any charge. It will prepare a case for opening of the Hussainiwala border for trade between India and Pakistan for which farmers could send the perishable items to each other.
The SSM has promised to amend laws to make provision for recalling the elected representatives in zila parishads, block samitis and gram panchayats if the elected representatives fail to perform. It also wants this provision to be made applicable in state legislatures and Parliament so that the elected representatives perform as per the promises made by them while seeking votes.
It will make way for loan debt waiver of farmers and farm labourers. It assured to provide subsidies in rural areas upon opening service centres, small industries to stop migration from villages to towns and also to strengthen transportation services in rural areas through mini buses.
It will make way for processing of food items and opening food processing units in villages and for it the provision for loans up to Rs 5 lakh at the subsidised interest rate of 2% will be made. With this, the farmers will be able to get value addition to their products. The loans of up to Rs 3 lakh from cooperative societies for farmers will be without any interest.
The cooperative agricultural development banks will be asked to prepare ground for food processing units and also market the products at various places and even in foreign countries. It will make way to stop the depleting water table.
The SSM has assured to strengthen the land record maintained by the revenue department and to solve all the issues pertaining to division of land. It wants to act tough against revenue officials accused of harassing farmers by not timely recording the mutations.
Taking note of the rising unemployment among youths, the SSM has assured of finding ways to tackle the vital issue and make way for generating employment avenues. The SSM has also assured to refurbish the education and healthcare system, claiming that presently the rural folks fail to get affordable quality education and healthcare services. The budget for both the core sectors will be doubled.
SSM chief ministerial face Balbir Singh Rajewal said the manifesto is like a sacred document for them. He said the morcha has tried to put all things needed to be done for farmers and various sections of the society. They will go by the manifesto whose timely implementation would be a necessity, he added.
