Release immediate aid of Rs 20K per acre for flood-hit farmers: Bajwa to Punjab govt

Chandigarh, Sep 13 (PTI) Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Saturday demanded that the Punjab government immediately release compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre for farmers whose crops were destroyed in the recent floods.

The leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly said the devastation caused by the floods has been so widespread that preliminary relief should not be delayed in the name of paperwork.

Punjab has been hit by its worst floods in decades that left behind a trail of destruction.

"The fields of Punjab are under water and mud, farmers are staring at ruin, and yet the AAP government is telling them to wait for surveys and 'girdawaris' (loss assessment).

"Farmers need urgent relief today, not bureaucratic excuses. Rs 20,000 per acre should be paid instantly," Bajwa stressed.

A second instalment of Rs 30,000 per acre can be released after proper assessment, ensuring a total package of Rs 50,000 per acre for the affected farmers, he said.

He said 4 lakh acres of fertile farmland has been inundated and demanded that the state government act with urgency.

"This Rs 800 crore immediate relief is not a big demand, it is the minimum lifeline that Punjab's farmers deserve right now," he said.

Bajwa further claimed that the Union government released Rs 1,582 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund but Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann failed to distribute the funds.

He said, "Why is the money lying idle when Punjab's farmers are in tears? Why is relief being held back in the name of assessment? The truth is simple -- the government does not care." Citing a Comptroller and Auditor General report, Bajwa said there was a corpus of Rs 9,041 crore under the SDRF as on March 31, 2023. "Why is CM Mann not uttering a single word on it?" The Congress leader also alleged that Mann avoided meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the floods.

"A real CM would have stood before the PM, demanded additional compensation and fought for Punjab's rightful share. But Bhagwant Mann chose to remain absent, abandoning the people of Punjab in their worst crisis," Bajwa said.

He said that after providing immediate compensation to farmers, the remaining funds must be fairly distributed for livestock losses, repair of damaged houses and restoration of infrastructure.

"But instead of standing with the people, the AAP is busy with advertisements, PR and making excuses," Bajwa said. PTI CHS DIV DIV