To help farmers who have suffered losses due to heavy rains across the state recently, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday started the process to disburse compensation with the state government distributing Rs 40 crore on its maiden day.
Addressing a gathering after launching a campaign to disburse the compensation for crop loss and damage to houses due incessant rains, the chief minister said he had himself distributed Rs 6 crore out of a total Rs 12.94 crore as compensation for 362 villages of Fazilka.
Mann said this is not an occasion to celebrate because he is here to compensate the farmers for their loss inflicted by nature’s fury. He said this reflects the firm commitment of his government to bail out the people especially the food growers in this hour of crisis.
He further said after the incessant rains he had extensively toured the affected areas to take stock of the situation at the ground level. He was peeved to note the colossal loss suffered by the farmers due to the inclement weather condition. Immediately after that the state government has ordered a comprehensive special Girdawari to ascertain the loss suffered by the people.
The CM said this time a complete transparent mechanism has been adopted for conducting the Girdawari in an efficient manner. He had promised that before Baisakhi the process to start compensation would start adding that it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that this campaign has started today.
Mann said his government has made 25 per cent upward revision in the compensation for the crop loss to the farmers adding that in case the loss is more than 75 per cent then the state government is compensating the farmers with Rs 15,000 per acre.
The CM said that for the first time in the history of the state the drive to disburse compensation has been started within 20 days of loss as none of the earlier governments had ever bothered about it.