Crop damage by weather: Punjab hikes relief by 50% to Rs12k

The Punjab government on Wednesday raised the compensation for damaged crops due to bad weather from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 per acre. “The state government has enhanced the compensation from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 per acre for damaged crops from 76 to 100 per cent damaged due to inclement weather,” said state revenue minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria in a release.

The enhanced compensation will be big relief for the farmers, he said, adding that the order will come into effect from June 20.

Meanwhile, additional chief secretary Vini Mahajan said the government was giving Rs 2,000 per acre for a crop that was damaged between 26 and 32% and Rs 5,400 per acre for 33 to 75%damaged crop. Sarkaria said the state government was fully committed to ensure welfare of farmers and doing everything possible to bail them out from the current agrarian crisis.

61 Bathinda farmers get notice for early sowing of paddy

With paddy being sown on 261 acres in the district before Wednesday (June 20), the officially mandated date, the agriculture department has issued notices to 61 farmers in the district for violating its orders.

“Farmers ploughed down early-sown paddy on four acres. but the rest still stands. All 61 farmers who have been issued notices will have to reply. The department has been instructed to take action against those who violated the orders and we will comply,” said Bathinda chief agriculture officer Gurditta Singh.

“We are waiting for replies from farmers. The action can be in the form of a penalty or ploughing (destroy) the early sown paddy any time before crop ripening,” he added.

The penal measures that the state government has announced include a fine of ₹10,000 per hectare, snapping the power connection of tubewells of farmers who violate the law, not to purchase the early sown paddy crop and to even plough (destroy) such crop.

District president of BKU (Ekta – Ugrahan) Shingara Singh Mann said, “The department claims to have sent notices. However, farmers have not got these as they would have definitely come to us if this had happened.”

He threatened to launch a stir if any farmer is penalised for sowing paddy early. On Tuesday too, activists of BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) had protested outside the district administrative complex demanding that any notice sent or case registered against farmers who had sown paddy before June 20 should be cancelled.