Montek panel to submit final report next month, but doubts still remain
CHANDIGARH: A group of experts headed by former deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, whose initial recommendations on agriculture reforms have been rejected by the Punjab government, will submit its final report next month.
Ahluwalia said the panel had given an interim report on which the state government was going to offer its comments. “They have given us comments on many suggestions, but not all. We have told them (government) that we will submit our final report in March. Before that, I am not saying anything,” Ahluwalia said on Tuesday, refusing to comment on chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s statement a day earlier that he had
rejected the panel’s preliminary recommendations on farming sector that were submitted to the state government last year.
The 22-member panel of experts constituted by the CM had, in its interim report advocated opening up of agriculture markets beyond state-run mandis where were “restrictive” and had “high licence fees”, and other agriculture reforms similar to those incorporated by the central government in the three farms laws that are being opposed by farmers in the state.
Besides new rules and amendments related to levy of market fees, commission fees, licensing for agriculture marketing to make the state competitive, the committee had also suggested leasing of agriculture land for a bigger role for private sector, reduction of paddy procurement from water-stressed areas and incentives for shifting out of paddy and strongly disapproved of the free power policy for its financial and environmental consequences. As the report drew sharp reactions from political parties, including the Congress, and farmer leaders for its criticism of free power, the chief minister gave its recommendations on agriculture reforms the thumbs down. “Montek committee is an expert group whose task is to make recommendations. But it’s my government’s
job to accept or reject them…in any case, the committee is yet to come out with its final report,” Amarinder reiterated on Monday. While Ahluwalia is confident of submitting the final
report next month, former Union food and agriculture secretary T Nanda Kumar, who is a part of the committee’s subgroup on agriculture, does not share his optimism.