Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann calls on Amit Shah, seeks MSP on basmati

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann called on Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday, urging him to issue a notification for the purchase of basmati on MSP. The meeting came a day after Mann met leaders of farm groups and convinced them to end their agitation on the Chandigarh-Mohali bordering with an assurance to raise the issues pertaining to the Centre with Shah.
Urging Shah to issue a notification for the purchase of basmati on MSP, he said it was needed to bring the farmers out of the wheat-paddy cycle and that it would help in saving water and boost crop diversification. He also sought compensation of Rs 500 per quintal for the low yield of wheat grain in the state due to the intense heat wave in March, damaging wheat grains. "The hard working and resilient farmers of the state have made enormous contributions in making our country self-reliant in food production and now the Centre must bail them out in this hour of crisis," he said.
The chief minister also asked Shah to repeal the order pertaining to abolishing the member of Punjab from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). He said it was a "discriminatory step which has bruised the psyche of every Punjabi" and the Union government must roll back this retrogressive step which dilutes the federal structure in the state.
Following Mann's request, the home minister immediately allotted 10 additional companies of paramilitary forces in Punjab. Mann also requested anti-drone technology to check increased drug and weapon smuggling from across the border.