In a big relief to State farmers, the Punjab Government has sanctioned Rs 32.82 crore as compensation for crop damage due to natural calamity during the year.
Giving the information, the state Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria on Tuesday said that the farmers had suffered heavy loss due to rain and hailstorm for which the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh-led government approved Rs 32,82,43,328 for 51,788-acre crop damage from June 2017 to July 2018.
Sarkaria, giving a breakup, said that 29,120-acre crop was damaged in Patiala district during 2017-18 for which a compensation of Rs 17,53,08,900 was approved. Similarly, Rs 2,27,63,248 has been approved for 4,150-acre crop damage in Sangrur district, Rs 2,80,74,978 for 3,843-acre crop damage in SBS Nagar and Rs 2,92,29,289 for 5,412-acre crop damage in Barnala district.
The districts of Kapurthala (8446 acre), Amritsar (753), Faridkot (54) and Bathinda (7 acre) suffered 9260-acre crop loss during 2018-19 for which a compensation of Rs 7,28,66,913 has been approved.
The Minister further said that the compensation would prove a big relief to farmers who had suffered heavy crop damage due to the inclement weather. The relief was being provided in the letter and spirit on the directives of the Chief Minister, he said.
Review meetings were held at the district and state level to ensure timely disbursal of compensation to the affected farmers.
Sarkaria demanded that the Centre should immediately implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission so as to ensure remunerative prices to the farmers of their produce on the one hand and make agriculture economically viable on the other.
The Minister said that the State Government was fully committed to ensure welfare of the farmers and leaving no stone unturned to help them out from the current agrarian crisis.