Haryana govt's policies are anti-farmer, says Hooda

Kurukshetra (Haryana) [India], June 1 : Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said that the policies of the State government have been anti-farmer during the entire coronavirus period.
Addressing media persons, he said the opposition parties had extended complete support to the government for the fight against corona but they were forced to oppose the government after it took a series of anti-farmer decisions.
Hooda said the government withdrew its decision of paddy ban after a sustained campaign by farmers and opposition parties. Taking a dig at the government, the Leader of Opposition said while the government has been forced to let go of the elephant, the government is still holding on to its tail.
"The government should withdraw the ban on paddy cultivation on Panchayati land in times of pandemic. Instead of imposing restrictions on farmers and panchayats, the government should resume a project like Dadupur-Nalvi to conserve groundwater," he added.
The former Chief Minister said the problem of groundwater can be solved only when the groundwater is recharged and recounted the schemes initiated under the Congress government.
"Rather than running schemes that would recharge groundwater in deficit areas, the government is looking at shutting down projects like Dadupur-Nalvi and cutting down grants for drip irrigation and drip pipelines. This time the monsoon is expected to last longer, so arrangements should be made to store rainwater in advance," he said.
"The government should try to ensure that the farmers do not face any problem during the Corona pandemic. The government should clear the pending payment of wheat and sugarcane immediately and compensation should also be paid soon for losses suffered due to hailstorms and unseasonal rains," Hooda added.
The Leader of Opposition expressed deep concern over the increasing unemployment in the State and said the government is only adding to the problems faced by the people of the state. He said the government is constantly retrenching employees even during the time of a pandemic where families are struggling to make ends meet.
"Our youths are not being given jobs are waiting for the recruitment. Efforts are being made to cancel 9 categories of recruitments including TGT English. PGT Sanskrit candidates are not being given a joining date. No relief has been given to small and medium scale industries to ensure that they are able to provide some support and relief to their employees. This is the reason that the unemployment rate in the State has reached 43 per cent today," he said.
Hooda also expressed concern over the rising number of Corona cases in the state. "The government should pay attention to complaints from many places that Corona patients are not being looked after properly."
The former Chief Minister asked the people to keep themselves safe, even though the lockdown has been relaxed.
"The government has relaxed the lockdown but this does not mean that Corona's threat has reduced. It is important that all of us continue to take precautions as before," he said.