AAP criticises Centre for rejecting Punjab’s Rs 1,200-crore demand to prevent stubble burning

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) strongly criticised the BJP-led central government for turning down Punjab’s demand for Rs 1,200 crore to prevent farmers from stubble burning, and has accused the Centre of discrimination against Punjab.

In a press conference at the party office in Chandigarh on Tuesday, AAP MP and senior spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang said that the Modi government has been consistently discriminating against Punjab. It has already withheld several funds from Punjab, such as the Rural Development Fund, Mandi Development Fund, and the National Health Mission Fund, amounting to nearly Rs 10,000 crore.

He added issues were deliberately created in lifting of paddy and now, they were also refusing to provide the incentives needed to prevent stubble burning.

Kang said that Punjab government is continuously raising awareness and providing support to farmers to prevent stubble burning.

“Thanks to the efforts of the Mann government over the past two-and-a-half years, the number of stubble burning incidents has seen a significant reduction in Punjab,” he said.

Kang further stated that the BJP frequently claims to stand with Punjab’s farmers, but when it comes to actually helping them, the party shirks its responsibility or creates obstacles. The Centre’s attitude towards Punjab is discriminatory and vindictive, and it weakens the country’s federal structure, he said.

The AAP MP added that the central government should realise that farmers of Punjab and Haryana feed the entire nation with their hard work, and treating them in this manner is shameful. The Aam Aadmi Party strongly condemns this, he said.

Punjab government has been writing to the Centre since 2022, and last year, the Delhi government also announced to contribute

The Punjab government had written to the Centre in 2022 informing them about their plan to provide Rs 2,500 per acre to farmers. Last year, Arvind Kejriwal also announced that Delhi government would contribute funds to this scheme, as stubble smoke during the months of October and November severely increases air pollution in the national capital.

Last month, the Punjab government wrote to the Centre again, requesting 60 per cent of the required funds, which amounts to Rs 1,200 crore. This year, approximately 32 lakh hectares have been planted with paddy in Punjab. To provide Rs 2,500 per acre to all farmers, an estimated Rs 2,000 crore would be required. Of this total expenditure, 40 per cent (Rs 800 crore) would be shared equally by the Punjab and Delhi governments, with each contributing Rs 400 crore. However, the Centre has consistently rejected this proposal for the past two years.

In their proposal, the Punjab government emphasised that providing economic incentives to farmers is the only viable option to prevent stubble burning, as the machinery required for its management is very expensive. Other related costs are also high, and to save on these expenses, farmers are resorting to burning stubble, it added.