Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday addressed the media on key issues related to water supply, paddy cultivation, groundwater management and other key developments in the state.
He announced that water will be released in upgraded canals from May 1 stressing that water availability becomes crucial during this period and according to him around 21,000 cusecs of water is being released in advance and is expected to reach farmers by May 1 and he adds that this early release will also support horticulture activities.
The Chief Minister said Punjab is working to reduce its dependence on tubewells by promoting the use of canal water for paddy cultivation and informed that the state has spent about Rs 6,700 crore on strengthening canals and pipelines till March 2026 and this work covers nearly 14,000 km of network across Punjab.
Mann also shared that the government has created recharge points to improve underground water levels and as a result groundwater levels have increased by around two to four metres in several areas and he also added that nearly 21 lakh cubic metres of water has been recharged underground so far.
The state has decided to start paddy plantation from June 1 this year and Punjab has been divided into four zones for better water management and direct seeding of paddy will take place from May 15 to May 31 with farmers getting eight hours of water supply.
Farmers using the traditional puddling method will receive water from June 1
From June 5 areas like Muktsar and Bathinda will get eight hours of water supply
Districts including Malerkotla, Barnala and SBS Nagar will receive water from June 9
The Chief Minister also said that 15 Indians have been deported from Australia out of which 11 belong to Punjab including one woman and the remaining deportees are from Telangana and Haryana talking more about this he added that a Punjab government team is being sent to receive them and they are expected to arrive on Wednesday.
Mann further informed that Droupadi Murmu has given time to meet the Punjab Government on May 5 at 12 pm and added that the Aam Aadmi Party has sought the recall of Members of Parliament who switched over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
