The Newz Radar
SHIMLA: In a show of alleged apathy on the part of the officials concerned, about 4,000 horticulturists of Himachal Pradesh have been awaiting their government subsidy under the Integrated Horticulture Development Mission for as long as 10 years.
Farmers and horticulturists are provided 50 per cent grant for the purchase of essential equipment such as power tillers, power sprayers, weeders and anti-hail nets under the mission. But blame it on lack of funds or some issue on the part of the officials concerned, subsidy payments dating back to financial years 2014-15, and beyond, lie pending. The burden of these liabilities from the tenure of former Chief Ministers Virbhadra Singh and Jai Ram Thakur governments has now shifted to the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government.
The farmers and horticulturists are now demanding that the government clear their pending payments along with interest, saying they had taken loans to purchase the equipment.
This situation adds strain to the Sukhu government, which is already grappling with economic challenges and various cuts in central schemes.
During the Virbhadra and Jai Ram regimes, promises of doubling farmers’ income were made by the Centre, yet the horticulturists find themselves still awaiting the money due to them. With indirect taxes already collected from these gardeners in the past, the proposal to further deduct GST and provide subsidies is also facing strong opposition.
Expressing surprise, Himachal Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi acknowledged the existence of pending subsidy cases, promising an investigation into the oversight. The horticulturists, frustrated by the decade-long delay, stress the urgent need for the government to deposit the long-awaited funds, with interest, into their accounts. Sunil Chauhan, a member of a farm union, emphasised the plight of the gardeners and called for immediate redressal of their financial grievances.
