NEW DELHI: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday announced significant relief for farmers in the state’s border belt after the Central government agreed in principle to shift the Border Security Fence closer to the International Border. The move will allow unhindered cultivation of thousands of acres of farmland currently trapped beyond the fencing.
Meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, Mann highlighted the daily hardships faced by farmers who have had to cross the fence under BSF escort with identity cards to reach their fields along the 532 km India–Pakistan border. Shah assured that the fence would be shifted towards the border, restoring access to Punjab’s land without compromising national security. Mann also raised other long-standing issues, including Punjab’s objections to the proposed Seeds Bill 2025, the unresolved Sutlej Yamuna Link dispute, delays in foodgrain movement by the FCI, freezing of the Arthia Commission, non-payment of the Rural Development Fund and Mandi Fund, and dilution of Punjab’s role in Chandigarh’s administration. On the Seeds Bill, Mann criticised the zone-based system for failing to guarantee Punjab’s representation in the Central Seed Committee, limiting the state’s voice in seed sector decisions.