Union Minister for Food Processing and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday said that the announcement of `600 crore relief package for whitefly attack-affected is a big step towards quenching the dire need of cotton farmers
The compensation is speedily being distributed amongst the affected farmers and under this, `114 crore has been released for Bathinda farmers, while more help is on the way, she said.
Expressing sympathy with the landless labourers, she directed the District Administration to increase quantum of work under MNREGA to provide employment to these labourers whose livelihood was depending on picking cotton in the fields.
Harsimrat, talking to the media persons on the sidelines of foundation stone laying ceremony of a cattle pound in Harraipur village, said that the Punjab Government has always stood like a rock support besides farmers in their times of
distress.
“With Narendra Modi led Government taking over the reins of country, a major change was heralded in the form of compensation amount being granted even when 33 percent of crop gets damaged,” she said.
Congress-led UPA Government used to award compensation to the farmers only after 100 percent of crop was damaged, she said adding that the NDA Government brought this down to 33 percent and consequently, the farmers have been given compensation at the rate of `8,000 per acre instead of `3,600 per acre awarded earlier.
Reiterating the State’s riparian rights on the rivers, the Union Minister said that the State does not have any extra water for anybody else. The State could not compromise with the irrigation needs of its own farmers, she said.
Harsimrat added that over the period of past nine years, the SAD-BJP Government has given `28,000 crore worth free power and water to its farmers.
AAP, CONG CAN’T RISE ABOVE DIFFERENCES
Taking a dig on the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Harsimrat said that the two parties are too engrossed in their own matters than to work for betterment of people of the State.
Training guns on the senior Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh, she said that Amritsar MP has neither done anything for his constituency nor has ever represented his area in the Parliament.
