From free power to farmers and social security pensions to a scheme to provide free atta and daal to families below the poverty line, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was the architect of several populist schemes in Punjab. Most of these schemes that Badal initiated are running to this day.
After Badal took over the state’s reins in February 1997, unseating Rajinder Kaur Bhattal of the Congress, he extended power subsidy to all. Bhattal had introduced the subsidy for farmers with up to seven acres of land from January 1997 onwards. Under that scheme, the bigger farmers had to pay Rs 50 per horsepower under the scheme.
