The Punjab Government has recently announced that it will provide 2 lakh quintals of wheat seeds free of cost to flood-affected farmers. The government is spending a whopping amount of ₹74 crore for this purpose. This initiative will provide a fresh start to farmers who were unsure about resuming farming after the disastrous floods.
What did the CM Mann say for Flood-affected Farmers?
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the state government will provide two lakh quintals of wheat seeds free of charge to flood-affected farmers. These seeds will be distributed for the upcoming Rabi crop season. He stated that floodwaters had inundated more than 2,300 villages in Punjab, affecting around 2 million people. The floods have destroyed crops on approximately 5 lakh acres of land in the state, although the actual loss may be higher. The Chief Minister further said: “The hardworking farmers of Punjab are the backbone of the country’s food security. The government fully supports the farmers in this crisis”.
Punjab Floods: Damaged over 2.3 lakh acres of farmland
Punjab, the breadbasket of India, has witnessed the worst floods in decades as relentless rainfall and swollen rivers have submerged villages, towns, and farmlands in the districts, including Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, and Amritsar. Heavy rains exacerbated the crisis of the Punjab Floods.. The Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers surged, inundating large areas and damaging over 2.3 lakh acres of farmland, and devastating the paddy crop of the Kharif season. Undeniably, the recent Punjab floods have reminded the 1988 deluge, when the water level in the villages had gone up to 12 feet. It had left people stranded on terraces and trees.