Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday directed all the Deputy Commissioners to immediately release any pending compensations to the farmers who had suffered losses during the 2017 floods.
Expressing concern over the delay in disbursement of 2017 compensation by the Deputy Commissioners despite having received the money from the Revenue Department, the Chief Minister directed the Financial Commissioner Revenue MP Singh to seek an explanation from them.
The Chief Minister, while chairing a meeting to finalise the modalities for early release of compensation to the people affected by the recent rains, ordered that an ex-gratia payment of Rs four lakh each should be immediately released to the five families whose members had lost their lives in the recent incessant rains.
It was informed in the meeting that five deaths had occurred in the state — two in Tarn Taran and one each in Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Moga.
The Chief Minister also asked his Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar to get detailed instructions regarding the criteria and norms for assessment and release of compensation re-circulated to all the field officers in order to ensure timely payments.
According to an official spokesperson, the Chief Minister was informed that a detailed memorandum for seeking financial assistance from the Centre will be prepared after compilation of the data of the damage caused to crops, property and livestock.
The Chief Minister said that compensation for the complete loss of crop, which was earlier fixed at Rs 8,000 per acre, should be paid at the enhanced rates of Rs 12,000 per acre.
Spokesperson said that as per rules, compensation of Rs 12,000 per acre will be paid for crop loses ranging between 76 to 100 percent, Rs 5,400 per acre for losses between 33 to 75 percent, and Rs 2,000 per acre for 26 to 32 percent.
A compensation of Rs 95,100 will be paid for full or severely damaged houses, and Rs 5,200 for partially damaged ones.
In case of loss of livestock (buffalo or cow) the compensation will range between Rs 30,000 to Rs 90,000, and for goat, sheep and pig, it is fixed at Rs 3,000.