Punjab Government on Wednesday claimed that the process of providing relief to the families of farmers and farm labourers who have committed suicide has gained momentum with financial assistance to the tune of Rs.835 lakhs approved so far in 296 cases of suicide since Capt Amarinder Singh Government took over.
An official spokesperson said this is the highest ever amount of relief given to the affected families in such cases since the scheme was launched in 2015.
He said relief had been sanctioned by the State level Committee (SlC) set up for the purpose in nine meetings since April last year. The spokesperson said the Chief Minister had directed early clearance of the backlog in such cases by the State level Committee for Rendering Financial Assistance to the Kin of Farmer & Farm labourers Affected by Suicides.
All the Deputy Commissioners, who are also the heads of District level Committees, had been directed to scrutinize the cases falling under their jurisdiction on a monthly basis. They had further been asked to forward the cases for to the SlC for approval by the 10th of every month, said the spokesperson.