Ahmedabad, 27 September 2012

Gujarat Congress has today promised 16-hour quality power to farmers if elected to power.

The party has also promised free of cost availability of 7-12 utara and 8A forms.

Full list of sops declared today for farmers is here:

-16 hours quality power, preferably in day time.

-90% subsidy for 5-100 hp solar power, wind power pump

-1 million agri power connections.

-Free solar street lights in 18,000 villages. 100% self sufficient villages so far as power is concerned.

-First 50 units of home usage power for free, 10% cut in electricity duty.

-7/12 and 8A for free at Gram panchayat level.

-A special project to save crops from blue bull and pigs.

-Removal of dark zone

-Planning for proper income to groundnut farmers and groundnut oil users.

-Rs 1,000 crore market intervention corpus fund for farmers of potato, onion and other crops.

-73600 km network to be completed in three years to serve 18 lakh ha land in Narmada command area.

-North Gujarat, Kutch and Saurashtra each will be supplied one million acre ft water to fill the dams and water bodies.

-The cases of power theft will be withdrawn. Bills on water will be waived for defaulters in farm sector.

-Gauchar rights for pashupalaks. Padtar land and lands on the hill side will be given to pashuapalak mandlis.

-Green house power connections to be provided at agriculture power rate.

-Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation to be made strong and more active.

-20% additional subsidy from the state govt in Bagayat farming(orchards farming) sector.

-Ring road around each village.

-A special law to ensure that farmers get power connection in six months after application.

-Permission to the industries that could harm the farming land would be denied.

-If water is not available in farmer’s own land, he would be permitted to source the water from government’s padtar land through digging well or bore-well. In such case he would be provided two guntha land for carrying the water to his land.

-Review of Navi sharat, juni sharat provisions.

-Removal of VAT on chemical fertilizers.

-If there’s encroachment on govt land located next to the farmer’s own farm, and if the land is not useful for the government, it will be given to the farmer at Jantri rate.