Opposition trying to defame portals, but farmers, other beneficiaries reaping benefits: CM Saini

Chandigarh, Aug 25 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday launched an attack on Congress, saying they have been continuously trying to defame various portal the state government has started for the benefits of various sections, including farmers.

"The truth is that today, the farmers and other beneficiaries are appreciating these portals. The benefits of various welfare schemes are now reaching people's homes directly through the portals," Saini said in the State Assembly here.

Targeting the previous Congress regime, he said that earlier, farmers had to wait a long time for crop damage compensation, and the funds often got lost or misused along the way.

He said during the assembly elections, the opposition spread false propaganda against the portal and even spoke of shutting it down if they came to power.

However, the public rejected their agenda and shut doors on them, said Saini referring to Congress failing to wrest power from the BJP, which formed the government in Haryana for the third time in a row after the 2024 Assembly polls.

With opposition members including those from Congress and INLD raising the problem of waterlogging in several districts including Rohtak, Bhiwani and Hisar, saying it has caused damage to the crops, the CM said the government has launched a e-Kshatipurti portal through which farmers in villages affected by water logging can report their crop losses.

Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that he or his party were not against portals.

"I had earlier said that only those portals will be closed which puts common people at an inconvenience," said Hooda.

"I want to know when will the government order 'special girdawari' (survey) to assess the damage and how much compensation will be given to farmers," Hooda asked.

Chief Minister Saini, however, informed the Assembly that the claims pertaining to crop damage by the farmers are uploaded on the designated portal and then verified by the concerned departmental officers after which compensation is directly credited into the farmers' accounts.

Recently, Rs 78.50 crore has been disbursed to farmers and as and when claims get approved the compensation is directly paid to them, he said.

Today, farmers are appreciating the state government's welfare schemes, he added.

Saini said that during the Congress government's tenure, only Rs 1,158 crore was given to farmers as crop loss compensation, whereas during past ten years the BJP government has released Rs 15,500 crore.

Meanwhile, in response to the opposition's calling attention to the waterlogging issue, the government further informed the House that the current submerged area in Haryana as of August 21, is 30,315 acres of land and the number of pumps deployed to drain out the flood and rain water is 1,452.

The government has said that e-Kshatipurti portal will remain open till August 31, in order to facilitate the "flood-affected" farmers of 188 villages of seven districts--Hisar, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Palwal, Charkhi Dadri, Rewari and Sirsa to register their claims for crop damage caused by recent "flood/standing water".

The House was also informed that before the onset of monsoon, every year the department concerned takes up the work of clearance of drains channels.

Review meetings are held regularly to review flood preparedness in every district. PTI SUN NB NB