Punjab agri minister asks Centre 151 crore assistance for restoring land silted due to floods

New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on Tuesday urged the Centre to provide additional financial assistance of Rs 151 crore to the state under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) for the restoration of land silted up due to floods in the border districts of Punjab.

Referring to the recent floods in the state, he said it has damaged 5 lakh acres under various crops in 2,185 villages of Punjab.

Addressing a national conference on agriculture Rabi campaign 2025 held under the chairmanship of Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan here, Khudian said that recent unprecedented floods have adversely affected large areas of cultivable land and caused heavy losses to the standing crops.

Border districts of Punjab (Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Kapurthala, Fazilka and Ferozepur) are the worst affected and up to 5 feet of silt/sand has been deposited in the flood-affected agricultural fields.

"The people of Punjab have always come forward with open hearts during the tough times in any part of the country, now the centre should extend its helping hand to pull the state out of this critical situation," he said.

According to a statement issued by the state government, he emphasised that given the gravity of the situation, timely release of additional funds under DPR component of RKVY will not only help in compensating farmers for their losses but also ensure revival of the agricultural economy of the State.

He demanded that the centre should release Rs 80 crore to the state to provide 2 lakh quintal of certified wheat seed to the affected farmers under the seed village programme. He also demanded Rs 25 lakh for the wheat seed separately under the National Food Security Mission.

Khudian also appealed to the Union Agriculture Minister to provide 637 quintals of certified mustard seeds and 375 quintals of black gram seeds to help the farmers.

The Punjab agriculture minister asked the Centre to ensure timely supply of DAP and urea as per the requirement of the state so that the sowing of crops does not face further delay. He also sought the Union minister’s intervention to release Rs 8,000 crore of RDF and other funds withheld by the Centre, the statement said.

The Union agriculture minister assured Khudian that the Centre will take all the necessary steps to help the state facing tough times due to floods, the statement claimed. PTI SKC CHS MR MR