Punjab snubs Centre’s wheat seeds scheme

Cabinet had decided that provinces, govt will provide funds for wheat seeds to flood-hit farmers with 50% contribution

ISLAMABAD:

Seemingly on a collision course with the PML-N administration, the PTI-PML-Q Punjab government has given a thumbs down to the federal government’s scheme of providing wheat seeds to farmers of flood-affected areas in collaboration with the centre.

Earlier, the federal government in a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday decided that provinces and the federal government will ensure the provision of funds with a contribution of 50 per cent.

In this regard, the ECC approved a supplementary grant of Rs3.2 billion to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for the procurement of wheat seed and distribution to districts identified by the provinces, which was approved by the cabinet.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the federal government has finalised the plan to supply seeds for wheat cultivation in the flood-affected areas of the country. Under the arrangement, the federal and provincial governments will jointly provide wheat seeds to farmers.

Seeds worth Rs7 billion will be distributed by the federal government. Meanwhile, bags of wheat seeds worth Rs8 billion will be distributed by Sindh.

Over 2 million bags of wheat seeds will be distributed by the Sindh government in the flood-affected areas of Sindh and 800,000 bags will be distributed by the federal government in Sindh.

About 150,000 bags of wheat will be distributed to Balochistan’s flood-ravaged districts, of which fifty per cent will be contributed by the federal government and fifty per cent from the Balochistan government.

However, the PTI-led government in Punjab has signalled its reluctance to be part of the arrangement.

It may be noted that this is not the first time the provincial government’s snubbed the federal government’s proposals for joint schemes. The opposition-led governments in provinces have on a number of occasions refused to take part in similar subsidy schemes.