Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 23

In a major development for the state, the Centre has released the Rural Development Fund worth Rs 1,600 crore, which was withheld since last year’s paddy season.

The Centre has also released another Rs 1,700 crore due as administration and arhtiya charges for the just-concluded Rabi Marketing Season. The custody and maintenance charges worth Rs 276 crore, due for almost a decade, too, have been released. Together, the Centre has showered largesse of Rs 3,576 crore on the cash-strapped state.

It may be noted that the state received just one per cent RDF for the last year’s kharif marketing season (paddy crop of 2020), while the RDF for 2020-21 wheat crop was completely denied in the provisional cost sheet. Certain new conditions were imposed on the state last week, to match the land records with the payments made to each farmer, to get the RDF, after the state had got all J-Forms countersigned by village panches. Since this was impossible to achieve before the cash credit limit for the wheat crop ended at the end of the month, Punjab Food and Supply Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and his team of officers rushed to Delhi to get this waived.

Though the RDF funds are being released now, the state government has been categorically told that this fund should not be used for any other purpose except for creating mandi infrastructure.

Punjab has been asked to make amendments in its Rural Development Act, so that the funds granted by the Centre are no longer used for debt relief to farmers, construction of village roads and panchayat ghars etc., before they demand the RDF for the upcoming paddy season.

The denial of these funds to Punjab had created a storm in the state, especially as it came in the midst of a raging farmers’ agitation spearheaded by farmers of Punjab against the three agriculture laws. The state government had been categorical in its criticism of the Centre on the issue, saying it was being withheld to teach Punjab a lesson for opposing the Centre’s farm laws.

Food and Supply Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said he was thankful to the Centre for giving Punjab its dues. “It will go a long way in maintaining healthy relations between the Centre and the state,” he added.

RDF can only be used to create mandi infra

• The state government has been categorically told that Rs1,600 crore Rural Development Fund should not be used for any other purpose except for creating mandi infrastructure
• It has also been asked to make amendments in the Rural Development Act, so that the central funds are no longer used for debt relief to farmers, construction of village roads and panchayat ghars etc.