CHANDIGARH: Dr Vikramjit Singh Sahney, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Punjab, who unveiled the report titled "Punjab Vision - A Blueprint for Progress," discussed the importance of crop diversification, agri-processing, industrial infrastructure, and skill training for the development of Punjab.
The report, a part of the Punjab Vision 2047 held in November last year, details various recommendations in the agriculture sector for crop diversification, including millets in the mid-day meal and providing millets in the 5 Kg Ration Scheme. "Punjab should create and promote AI technology for sustainable crop diversification and should set up AI-driven chatbox to assist farmers,’’ Sahney said.
On agri-processing, Sahney said that there is an urgent need to set up food processing parks, preferably through multipurpose cooperative societies in a cluster of villages with storage and processing facilities, oil extraction, flour mills, processing and packing of spices, pulses, honey, mushrooms etc.
He also emphasised the need for organic farming with institutions like MARKFED and Punjab Agro to provide market linkages. Sahney also proposed setting up of crop specific clusters like pulses, oil seeds, and cotton in Malva, Sugarcane in Doaba, Maize in Hoshiarpur, dairy development in Kapurthala, Floriculture in Ludhiana, Litchi in Pathankot and Chillies in Ferozpur .
Regarding trade and industry, Sahney reiterated that Punjab should develop strong industrial zones and revamp key areas in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mohali, and Amritsar. He mentioned that the Rajpura Industrial Zone should commence operations within this year.
Additionally, he highlighted that further strengthening of STPIs to establish IT hubs and BPOs could be a game changer for Punjab, as skilled IT talent from the state is currently migrating to Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Sahney highlighted that skill training for the youth of Punjab is crucial to safeguard lives and livelihoods. He provided details about five world-class skill centers being established by him, along with the 10 ITIs he has adopted.
He expressed deep concern over the depleting water level and the presence of Arsenic and other harmful substances in the water.
He expressed concern over the declining water levels and the presence of arsenic and other harmful substances in the water. To address these issues, he suggested adopting Direct Seeded Rice along with a micro-irrigation system.
He further demanded that Punjab should receive immediate funds under the Atal Bhujal Yojana for water conservation, noting that the state meets all the criteria of the scheme.
While appreciating the State government’s war on drugs, Sahney said that skill training for drug rehabs is very critical to bring back youth into mainstream. He also advocated the need for investing in solar energy to optimize subsidy allocation for free power.