Patiala, July 17, 2019 (Yes Punjab News)
Currently Punjab is passing through an unprecedented agriculture crisis and is in the grip of grave agrarian distress. Therefore to address this alarming crisis Punjab immediately needs an independent and full time Agriculture Minister who could devote his time and energy to address the sagging agro-economy and other related issues.
It is pathetic that many people in Punjab does not even know as to who is the Agriculture Minister, Punjab due to nonperformance of such Minister. Even I had to search on Google and then discovered that Capt. Amarinder Singh is holding the portfolio of Agriculture Minister.
I routinely take ten news paper everyday and read them thoroughly, thereafter analyze the important news items besides important write ups.
Nowhere in the past two years could I lay my hand on any discernible news item where Capt. Amarinder Singh is actively engaged as Agriculture Minister Punjab giving direction to the agriculture policy of the State or speaking on the idea of crop diversification and giving achievable targets to his ministry.
Punjab needs serious policy direction in view of the alarming situation in overexploiting the ground water for paddy cultivation which is the cause of fast depleting ground water level.
Punjab is fast heading towards the acute shortage of drinking water if stringent measures are not taken to save the ground water, meaning thereby that the Punjab farmers will have to abandon the paddy sowing in Punjab completely.
A new crop patron has to be evolved with the help of the Agriculture University and the soil scientists. At present 14.5 Lac Tub wells are engaged unabated to pump out the ground water for the paddy cultivation.
Punjab should have reduced its area under paddy cultivation in a phased manner, much before such a brazen overexploitation of ground water. Now water depletion table has gone so deep (215 feet) that has completely changed the kind, condition and behavior of the first layer of the soil and the subsoil to accept the diversified crop cycle.
Therefore integrated day and night relentless efforts are required to address and monitor all the activities of the Agriculture department. Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh should immediately evaluate his own performance as Agriculture Minister, applying similar parameters as done in the case of Navjot singh Sidhu to evaluate his performance as local body minister.
People of Punjab would expect from Capt. Amarinder Singh that he would honestly share the status of his report card, after s self-appraisal. I am sure that he would discover the fact that his performance as Agriculture Minister is hopelessly inadequate; thus warranting a full time independent Agriculture Minister for Punjab.
