Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney seeks higher AIF cap, immediate release of Punjab’s pending RDF
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, February 13, 2026: Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Vikramjit Singh Sahney has urged the Centre to enhance the project limit under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) and release Punjab’s long-pending Rural Development Fund (RDF), calling the issue critical for the state’s agrarian economy.
Raising the matter in Parliament, Dr. Sahney demanded that the interest-subvention project ceiling under AIF be increased from ₹2 crore to ₹5 crore to enable the creation of modern cold storage and warehousing infrastructure.
He pointed out that post-harvest losses in the country are estimated at nearly ₹1.5 lakh crore annually, citing NABARD data, and said the existing limit is insufficient to build robust storage facilities.
He also highlighted concerns over the reduction and non-release of the Rural Development Fund (RDF) and Market Development Fund (MDF) to Punjab.
Referring to the 2022 decision to cut the levy linked to MSP procurement from 6% to 2%, Dr. Sahney noted that Punjab procures around 18 million tonnes of paddy and 12 million tonnes of wheat annually—significantly higher than other states.
The MP stressed that nearly 64,724 km of rural link roads and 1,936 mandis in Punjab depend heavily on RDF and MDF resources for maintenance and development. He called for urgent Centre–State coordination to resolve the impasse and restore adequate funding support.
Dr. Sahney further appealed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to intervene and help find a resolution to the pending RDF issue.
Responding to the proposal on AIF, Union Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan welcomed the suggestion and assured the House that the request would be examined.
On Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in Punjab, Dr. Sahney observed that while registrations are high, only a limited number are actively functional and able to access AIF-supported infrastructure such as cold storages and grading units.
He advocated for stronger institutional backing and targeted incentives to empower FPOs as effective drivers of agri-infrastructure development.