Chandigarh, May 13 -- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday called upon Union Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and sought his intervention for the de-notification of certain hybrid paddy seeds to ensure smooth procurement and lifting operations in Punjab during the forthcoming Kharif season, while raising a series of critical issues concerning the state's farmers before the Centre.
During the crucial meeting in Delhi, CM Mann secured assurances on uninterrupted fertiliser supply and groundwater conservation, demanded Punjab's representation in the Central Seed Committee, and pressed for wheat seed subsidy allocation for 2026-27.
Emphasising that Punjab's farmers had successfully achieved the Centre's target of 125 lakh metric tonnes of wheat production, CM Mann asserted that the Punjab government is now aggressively promoting crop diversification through maize, pulses, oilseeds, sunflower and bajra to reduce dependence on paddy cultivation, conserve rapidly depleting groundwater reserves and pull Punjab out of the dangerous dark zone crisis threatening the state's agrarian future.
During the meeting with the Union minister, Mann also strongly pitched for Punjab's representation in the Central Seed Committee under the proposed Seed Bill 2025 and sought greater support from the Centre for crop diversification and agricultural reforms in the state.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mann on Wednesday secured major assurances from the Centre for completion of several long-pending highway and flyover projects in Punjab after a crucial meeting with Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari, with stalled infrastructure works at Makhu, Adampur and Bhawanigarh set to move forward and key road corridors across the state likely to witness large-scale expansion and four-laning.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.