Senior Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab Sirdar Zulfiraq Ali Khan Khosa has said that provincial government will provide subsidy worth Rs. 2 billion on solar energy tubewells and preference will be given to the farmers of shashmahi canals areas. He said that subsidy amount can be increased if required. He said that agriculture is the back bone of economy and canal water should be made available to the farmers regarding to their requirements for the strengthening of agriculture sector. 
He said that inadequate irrigation water is available due to increase in cultivable areas, change in cropping pattern, siltation of existing reservoirs, in adequate canal capacities, the raising cost of tubwell water due to high cost of POL and electricity. He said that canal water is not available according to requirement of the Southern Punjab farmers especially in tale areas. He directed the officials of irrigation department to ensure the supply of irrigation water to the Southern Punjab farmers. He also directed for proper arrangements to get full share of Punjab irrigation water from IRSA.
He expressed these views during a briefing on shortage of water given to MPAs of Southern Punjab districts at 90-SQA. Provincial Ministers Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa and Ahmed Ali Aulakh, MPAs Ch. Mumtaz Ahmed Jaja, Rana Abdul Rauf, Arif Mohal, Muhammad Shafique, Shahid Anjum, Rana Ejaz Noon, Atif Hussain Mazari, Ms. Zaib Jaffar beside others.
Secretary Irrigation and other officers gave briefing on current water situation. Secretary Irrigation told that all the SDOs posting in home districts are being transferred to other places whereas irrigation water supply to the Southern Punjab canals would be increased within few days. Sirdar Zulfiraq Ali Khan Khosa directed the irrigation authorities to take effective steps to stop the water theft practice. He also directed to re-launch the desiltation campaign. He said that the Punjab government has reserved 56 % of developmental budget for Southern Punjab areas to eliminate the backwardness of the area. The MPAs suggested that the federal member in IRSA should be appointed in rotation from each province, the irrigation department should built burgees at each moga consisting the size of moga, no moga should be allowed from main canal and present mogas from main canals should be closed. The legal action by the irrigation department on water theft from moga should be against the responsible farmers only instead of all the farmers of moga.
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