Big relief for Punjab's farmers as Centre has agreed to shift border fence closer to IB: CM Mann

NEW DELHI: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday claimed a major relief for farmers in the state's border belt after the Centre agreed in principle to shift the security fence closer to the International Border.

Mann, after his meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah, said the move will clear the way for unhindered cultivation of thousands of acres of farmland currently trapped beyond the fencing.

The Punjab chief minister said farmers have long been forced to cross the fence with identity cards and under BSF escort to reach their own fields, facing daily hardship and uncertainty along the 532-km-long India-Pakistan border, where fencing lies deep inside Punjab's territory.

He said the home minister informed him during the meeting that the issue is under active consideration and that the fencing will be shifted towards the border, bringing Punjab's land back on the accessible side without compromising national security.

Alongside the border issue, CM Mann also raised a series of long-pending concerns, including Punjab's objections to the proposed Seeds Bill 2025, the unresolved Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) dispute, slow movement of foodgrains by the FCI, freezing of Arthia commission, non-payment of rural development fund (RDF) and Mandi Fund, and the dilution of Punjab's role in Chandigarh's administration. He sought a prompt and time-bound resolution of these matters.

Raising objections to the proposed Seeds Bill 2025, Mann said, "Punjab is an agrarian state and one of the largest grain-producing states of the country, yet the draft Seed Bill does not assure representation of the state as per schedule under the relevant section.

"The zone-based system introduced in the Bill does not guarantee Punjab's representation in the central seed committee, unlike the existing system, thereby limiting the state's voice in decisions that directly affect the seed sector."

The Punjab CM added, "The proposed Bill also curtails the existing powers of the state seed committee, as there is no role envisaged for the state-level committee in seed registration, and the draft is silent on a robust compensation framework for farmers who suffer losses when registered seed fails to perform as claimed."

The chief minister further pointed out that seed varieties tested and released in foreign countries have been allowed for import and sale in Punjab and other states without compulsory multi-location testing under state-specific agro climatic conditions, posing serious risks to farmers.

He conveyed to the home minister that agriculture is Punjab's lifeline, where farmers grow crops, sell part of the produce and retain seeds for the next season, and forcing farmers to depend entirely on companies for seeds is neither practical nor in farmers' interest.

He said that the Bill should not be brought before Parliament in its present form, and was assured by the Union home minister that the concerns would be examined.

Reiterating Punjab's long-standing position on river waters, the chief minister said, "Punjab has no surplus water to share with any other state. There has been a substantial reduction in the availability of Satlej, Ravi and Beas waters, and therefore construction of the Satlej Yamuna Link canal is not viable."

He said that out of 34.34 Mean Annual Flow (MAF) of water from these rivers, Punjab was allocated only 14.22 MAF, about 40 per cent, while the remaining 60 per cent was allocated to Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan, even though none of these rivers actually flow through those states.

"This is a gross injustice with Punjab, and there is absolutely no question of constructing this canal as it is totally against the interests of the state and its people," he asserted, adding that Punjab's stand before the Supreme Court remains firm that there is no water to spare.

Highlighting the problem of foodgrain movement and storage, the chief minister said, "For the last five months, the FCI has been moving only about 4 to 5 lakh metric tonnes of wheat and 5 to 6 LMT of rice from Punjab. Against 95 LMT of pending rice of Kharif marketing season 2025-26 to be delivered, only 20 LMT of storage space is currently available."

On the issue of Arthia commission, CM Mann said, "The Arthia Commission has been frozen since the 2019-20 procurement season, contrary to the provisions of The Punjab Agriculture Produce and Marketing Act 1961."

Flagging the non-payment of statutory dues, the chief minister said, "Despite clear statutory provisions under the relevant Punjab Acts, RDF has not been reimbursed to the state government. Even after amending the Punjab Rural Development Act in compliance with Government of India instructions, RDF has not been released since KMS 2021-22."

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