Crop loss: Mann disburses ₹6cr as relief to farmers in 362 Fazilka villages

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday started the process to disburse compensation to rain-hit farmers with the state government distributing ₹ 40 crore in a day.

Addressing the gathering, Mann said he has distributed ₹ 6 crore as compensation for 362 Fazilka villages. The CM said he had immediately ordered a comprehensive special girdawari to ascertain the loss suffered by farmers due to inclement weather conditions.

“It is for the first time in the history of the state that the drive to disburse compensation started within 20 days of loss as none of the earlier governments had ever bothered about it,” he said.

Mann said his government had made 25% upward revision in compensation for crop loss, adding that in case the loss is more than 75%, then the state government is compensating the farmers with ₹ 15,000 per acre. Likewise, he said for loss between 33% and 75%, farmers are given compensation worth ₹ 6,800 per acre.

He said farm labourers are also being duly compensated for the loss so that they do not face any problem. “A decision has also been taken to freeze repayment of loans taken by farmers from primary agricultural cooperative societies,” said the CM.

Slamming SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal for issuing baseless statements against the state government, Mann said every decision of the state government was aimed at the well-being of the common man.

Beneficiaries thank state govt for speedy disbursal

Farmers, who received the cheques of compensation, thanked the chief minister saying they never imagined that the government would come to their aid so soon. Vinod Kumar of Fazilka’s Bakainwala village, where tornadoes wreaked havoc recently, was overwhelmed after receiving a cheque of ₹ 1,20,000 from the CM.

“The Fazilka district administration has reconstructed our houses destroyed in the tornado. Today, we have received the compensation amount too,” he said.

Village sarpanch Harjinder Singh said the compensation has been credited into the bank accounts of farmers without any hassle.

Another beneficiary Surjit Kaur, who was handed over a cheque of ₹ 1, 20,000 after her house was damaged, said the lists of affected farmers were put up at common places after the girdawari to ensure transparency in the disbursal process.