Punjab Powers Up: New Strategy for Seamless Paddy Sowing Season

Punjab's government unveils a strategic plan to ensure uninterrupted power supply for the upcoming paddy sowing season, divided by zones. Alongside, a novel Direct Sowing of Rice technique aims to conserve groundwater while boosting farmer income, with significant state support and incentives rolled out for adoption.

In a significant move to bolster agricultural productivity, Punjab's Power Minister, Harbhajan Singh ETO, announced the division of the state into three strategic zones, ensuring an uninterrupted power supply during the critical paddy sowing season. Starting from June 1, Zone 1, which includes Faridkot, Bathinda, Fazilka, Ferozepur, and Shri Muktsar Sahib, will benefit from a minimum of eight hours of electricity.

Zone 2 will initiate paddy sowing on June 5, comprised of Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, and Fatehgarh Sahib. Zone 3, covering Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Moga, Patiala, Mansa, Sangrur, Barnala, Kapurthala, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, follows suit on June 9. The minister reassured that there is no power shortage, pledging seamless support.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann highlighted a pioneering step by introducing the Direct Sowing of Rice (DSR) technique, a move that promises a 15-20% groundwater savings. This initiative, which offers financial aid of Rs 1,500 per acre, has already begun, with a five lakh-acre target set for the Kharif season. Farmers can register on agrimachinerypb.com by June 30.