MONTEK REPORT ON FARM REFORMS WAS NEVER IMPLEMENTED, SAYS AMARINDER

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh on Monday clarified that the Montek Singh Ahluwalia committee report was never implemented. He was reacting to the reports that the committee constituted by him, recommended reforms in farming sector as mandated in the three farm laws passed by the Modi government.

In his tweet message, Amarinder Singh termed the report submitted last year by former deputy chairman of planning commission Ahluwalia as a preliminary, adding that by rejecting the recommendations on the farm sector, he made his government’s stand clear.

In a report submitted to the state government in August last year, Ahluwalia had termed policy of free power to agriculture sector as “highly regressive” because most of the subsidy accrues to farmers having bigger landholdings. It asked the state government to gradually reduce procurement of paddy from the extremely (subsoil) water stressed areas.

The report was commissioned by Punjab CM to seek suggestion on ‘medium and long term POSTCOVID economic strategy for Punjab’. “Anything that is not in farmers’ interest or adds to their burden will not be implemented in Punjab till I am there,” CM wrote on his twitter handle. He added the committee was an expert group whose task is to make recommendations. “But it’s my government’s job to accept or reject. I know the ground reality and I know what’s good for my farmers.”