Punjab Government announced a relief package for farmers affected by Punjab flooding. The affected farmers will get a compensation of ₹20,000 per acre, the “highest-ever flood compensation”. Furthermore, Chief minister Bhagwant Mann has also announced ₹4 lakh ex gratia for loss of life, and permission to landowners to remove and sell the sand deposited in their fields by floodwaters. Rs. 20,000 per acre compensation will be given to farmers whose crops have been damaged by 75-100 per cent in the recent floods across the state. Punjab government has described the compensation as the “highest-ever compensation for crop losses” given by any government in the country. However, the description has triggered reaction from farmers and unions.
Chief Minister Bhagwat Mann announced the compensation via video conferencing from a hospital where he is admitted due to exhaustion and a low heart rate. While announcing the compensation the government also approved ‘Jisda Khet Usdi Ret’ (the sand belongs to the farmers) policy, allowing the landowners in flood-affected areas to remove and sell the sand deposited on their fields by floodwaters. The landowners can sell the sand till November 15 without any permit or NOC.
Compensation is Just “Peanuts” – Farmers Point Out at the Low Compensation Amid Punjab Flooding
In this context, several affected farmers from Punjab said that the compensation of Rs, 20,000 per acres are just the “peanuts”. CM Bhagwat Mann in his written letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested to revise the proposed compensation from the existing ₹15,000 per acre to ₹50,000 per acre, stating that the state government will continue to contribute 25% as per the scheme. He also proposed doubling the ex-gratia payment for loss of life to the next of kin to ₹8 lakh per person from the previous ₹4 lakh per person.
Flood in Punjab at its Worst
Flood in Punjab at its worst, the state in notably facing its worst floods in four decades. Punjab flood has affected nearly four lakh people in 2,000 villages. The worst hit district amid flooding is: Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Amritsar, with over 1.75 lakh acres of farmland submerged as per the government estimates.