New Delhi, Jan 17 (AHN) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Saturday, announced a major relief for farmers in the state's border belt after the Central government agreed in principle to shift the Border Security Force (BSF) closer to the International Border, a move that will clear the way for cultivation of thousands of acres of farmland currently trapped beyond the fencing.

Calling on Union Home Minister Amit Shah here, the Chief Minister said farmers have long been forced to cross the fence with identity cards and under BSF escort to reach their own fields, facing daily hardship and uncertainty along the 532-km India-Pakistan border where fencing lies deep inside Punjab's territory.

He said the Home Minister told him during the meeting that the issue is under active consideration and that the fencing will be shifted towards the border, bringing Punjab's land back on the accessible side without compromising national security.

Alongside the border issue, CM Mann also raised a series of long-pending concerns, including state's objections to the proposed Seeds Bill 2025, the unresolved Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) dispute, slow movement of foodgrains by the Food Corporation of India, freezing of Arthiya Commission, non-payment of Rural Development Fund (RDF) and Mandi Fund, and the dilution of state's role in Chandigarh's administration, seeking prompt and time-bound resolution of these matters.

Raising serious objections to the proposed Seeds Bill 2025, the Chief Minister said, "Punjab is an agrarian state and one of the largest grain producing states of the country, yet the draft Seed Bill does not assure representation of the state as per schedule under the relevant section. The zone-based system introduced in the Bill does not guarantee Punjab's representation in the Central Seed Committee, unlike the existing system, thereby limiting the state's voice in decisions that directly affect the seed sector."

Chief Minister Mann added, "The proposed Bill also curtails the existing powers of the State Seed Committee, as there is no role envisaged for the state-level committee in seed registration, and the draft is silent on a robust compensation framework for farmers who suffer losses when registered seed fails to perform as claimed."

He said that seed varieties tested and released in foreign countries have been allowed for import and sale in Punjab and other states without compulsory multi-location testing under state-specific agro climatic conditions, posing serious risks to farmers.

Reiterating the state's long-standing position on river waters, the Chief Minister said, "Punjab has no surplus water to share with any other state. There has been a substantial reduction in the availability of Sutlej, Ravi and Beas waters, and therefore construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal is not viable."

He noted that of the 34.34 mean annual flow (MAF) of water from these rivers, Punjab was allocated only 14.22 MAF, about 40 per cent, while the remaining 60 per cent was allocated to Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan, even though none of these rivers actually flow through those states.

"This is a gross injustice with Punjab, and there is absolutely no question of constructing this canal as it is totally against the interests of the state and its people," he asserted, adding Punjab's stand before the Supreme Court remains firm that there is no water to spare.