PUNJAB GOVERNMENT CREDITED RS. 48 CRORE IN FARMERS’ BANK ACCOUNTS AS COMPENSATION FOR DAMAGED CROPS DURING FLOODS: JIMPA

– For the first time compensation of Rs. 6800 per acre provided to farmers for damaged paddy saplings

Chandigarh, September 12:

          Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa said that Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has credited an amount of Rs. 48.26 crore in the bank accounts of farmers as crop damaged relief till September 11. He said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has released an amount to the tune of Rs 188.62 crore to flood affected districts of Punjab to compensate the damage of of paddy sapling and other crops.

          This is the first time that a government is giving compensation of Rs. 6800 per acre for damaged paddy sapling, he added. Jimpa said that Rs. 33.50 crore was released as advance relief as soon as reports of flood risk were received in the month of July. After this, relief funds have been released to the affected districts from time to time.

          The Disaster Management Minister further said that instructions had already been issued to all the Deputy Commissioners that the relief compensation should be distributed to the deserving farmers in a transparent and hassle-free manner. Apart from this, there should be no recommendation or favour to influential people while disbursing compensations and it should be given only to the genuine person on the basis of merit.

          He said that the compensation was being provided to the affected farmers as per the Girdavari reports. As per the reports received from different districts, compensation amount of Rs. 25.22 crore has been deposited in the bank accounts of the affected farmers of Patiala district so far. Similarly, Rs. 7.35 crore to the farmers of Sangrur district, Rs. 5.09 crores to Ferozepur, Rs. 5.06 crore to Jalandhar, Rs. 5.42 crore to Tarn Taran, Rs. 4.74 crore to Mansa, Rs. 1.36 crore to Fazilka and Rs. 1.32 crore have been credited in the bank accounts of farmers of Fatehgarh Sahib district.

          Jimpa said that the Punjab government has no dearth of funds to compensate the flood affected farmers as state disaster management relief funds had sufficient funds. He pointed out that only stipulated compensation as per the Centre Government’s relaxation in rules could be provided to the affected people. He said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has also written a letter to the central government regarding this but no positive response has been received yet.