Bansal said by waiving the loans of the small farmers, the Union Finance Minister has given them a second lease of life. “It is our duty to see that the GDP, which does not percolate down to 66 per cent of the Indian population, does not remain so,” he said, adding, “Irrigation is one sector that needs to be strengthened further so that agriculture can be made more profitable. India has 35 lakh hectares under agriculture, of which only 15 lakh hectares has available irrigation.” Bansal also stressed on the need for the Centre and states to work in tandem to make agriculture a successful profession.

Speaking on the occasion, Sucha Singh Langah, Punjab Minister for Agriculture, said, “It is a pity to see that Punjabi youth find it below their dignity to work in their own fields, but are ready to do menial tasks in foreign countries. Punjab’s economy would be much better if our sons prefer to stay here rather than depending on migrant labour.”

Langah also did not miss the chance to plead a case for PAU, as he asked Bansal “not to forget the contribution of PAU to the Green Revolution”. He said now that PAU was reeling under a financial crisis, the Centre should announce some grant for the university. In reply, Bansal said, “We have already given PAU a one-time grant of Rs 100 crore and now it is the duty of the state government to solve PAU’s issues.”

In his lead lecture, Dr Manjit Singh Kang, PAU Vice-Chancellor, said, “The university has been abandoned by the state as no financial aid seems coming its way.” Offering solutions for the agrarian crisis, he said, “A two-pronged approach involving policy planning and implementation, new technology generation and its transfer to farmers is required for sustainability of agriculture.”