Punjab will now have ‘Kisan Vikas Chamber’, to be set up on the pattern of industry outfits like CII, Ficci and Assocham.
The Chamber is being set up to bring State’s dwindling agrarian economy back on track.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday laid the foundation stone of Punjab Kisan Vikas Chamber (PKVC)—farmers’ advisory body to be constructed over two acres of land here in Aero City here.
The Chief Minister said this farmers’ autonomous body shall certainly help them to do lobbying to get their genuine demands accepted at the Centre’s level through persuasion within the democratic means.
He said this platform would prove to be a milestone in putting the views of eminent agriculture experts and economists across the state government as well as the Centre in streamlining the policies related to agriculture and allied farming.
He said this Chamber on the pattern of industrial organisations like Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), PHD Chamber of Commerce, Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) would provide affirmative say of peasantry in the policies and programmes related to agricultural and allied activities.
The Chief Minister said this would be a non-political forum exclusively dedicated to the cause of farming community.
Eminent academicians and experts in different fields of Agriculture and allied services have been nominated in this prestigious organisation, Mr Badal said, adding that this body would surely reach zenith of its glory under stewardship of Chairman Punjab Farmers’ Commission G S Kalkat as its patron and leading progressive farmer Kulwant Singh as its President.
Mr Badal said the entire construction cost of the chamber’s complex would be borne by the state government and adequate land had been provided by GMADA free of cost.
The State government had initially provided Rs 20 crore as corps fund to run the chamber till it becomes fully self sustainable.
The Chief Minister said it was high time to set up such organisation to provide an interactive platform to farmers so as to enable them to take up their issues at an appropriate level for the quick resolution to their satisfaction. He said the chamber would engage the services of renowned agriculture experts for seeking their advice on matters related to the agriculture sector.
This would help the chamber to contest their claims vigorously with the Central and the State government in a meaningful and result oriented manner. -- PTI
