Santokh Chaudhary demands inclusion of Punjab in Atal Bhujal Yojana

The Jal Shakti Ministry has selected seven states - Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh - under this Rs 6000 crore programme for sustainable groundwater resource management. As per the Government, the scheme is expected to benefit nearly 8350 gram panchayats in 78 districts in these states.

Mr Chaudhary said the state is on the verge of desertification as most of the blocks in Punjab are overexploited and in Jalandhar, all the ten blocks are overexploited.

“Punjab is food basket of the nation and our industrious farmers brought about the Green Revolution to ensure food security. But in the process, due to various reasons including intense cultivation of paddy, Punjab’s groundwater started depleting rapidly,” he added.

Terming the groundwater situation a crisis and emergency, the Congress MP said that it is unfortunate and surprising that the Central Government did not include Punjab in Atal Bhujal Yojana despite the water levels being critical in the state.

It is pertinent to mention here that MP Chaudhary has been raising the issue of Punjab’s groundwater level in Parliament for some time.

During Monsoon Session 2019, he had requested the Union Government to launch a scheme for groundwater management and rejuvenation. He had also asked the government to promote crop diversification and give Minimum Support Price (MSP) for other crops including fruits and vegetables so that farmers can be weaned away from paddy. He had reiterated the same demands during Winter Session 2019.

“Since Punjab is already burdened with high debt, we urgently need Central assistance to manage and rejuvenate groundwater. So I request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ask the Jal Shakti Ministry to include Punjab in the scheme so that we can save our state from turning into a desert,” he said.