Chandigarh, July 3
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today launched the party initiative to provide relief to farmers and farm labourers whose standing wheat crop was damaged by severe rain and hailstorm by distributing wheat to affected farmers at Gandhar village in the Malout constituency of this district.
Asserting that the SAD had always stood by the annadaata, Mr Sukhbir Badal said when the Aam Aadmi Party had shunned its duty towards farmers by refusing any compensation to them, the SAD had stepped up to help them in their hour of need. “For us this is a “sewa” and we will try to reach every affected family”, he asserted.
The SAD president handed over one quintal of wheat each to 300 families on the occasion. He also expressed his gratitude to the dedicated party leadership of Sangrur, Nabha and Zira Assembly constituencies who had assiduously collected 300 quintals of wheat for distribution in this village. He announced that party cadre had collected the wheat stock following a decision made by the party in this regard two months back and that it would reach affected villages within the next few days.
Urging the people to distinguish between the Aam Aadmi Party which only believed in lip service and fake branding and the SAD which had always fulfilled its promises to the people, Badal said “the time has come to take AAP to account for failing to compensate farmers for repeated crop failures”.
Badal also visited few fields to see first hand the fate of farmers who had trusted the AAP promise of providing eight hours regular power supply. He said the paddy crop was drying because farmers were not even getting two hours regular supply.
“Farmers are suffering because this government did not add any new generation facility in the last four and half years”, he asserted while reminding the people that the erstwhile SAD government had made Punjab power surplus. Badal also spoke on how the women of Punjab had been hoodwinked by the AAP government. He said 10 per cent women (9 to 10 lakh) against a total women population of one crore had been given Rs 1,000 per month for three months while social welfare benefits worth Rs 2,000 per month had been snatched from them. He cited how women were not getting any money under the Shagun scheme besides severe pruning of the old age pension scheme and the MNREGA scheme.
Badal also announced on the occasion that once the SAD formed a government in the State it would give 30 kilograms of flour under the aata daal scheme at the rate of Rs four per kg besides providing pulses at Rs 20 per kg. He said the Shagun emolument on the marriage of girls from weaker sections would be raised to Rs 1 lakh and that the old age pension would be increased to Rs 3,100 per month. He also announced that the house less would be provided with “pucca” homes.