Guvt duty-bound to help farmers living near borders: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the state government is duty-bound to safeguard the interests of those living in border areas, as he disbursed compensation worth Rs 2.61 crore to farmers having land near the border fence.
Addressing a gathering at a function here in Gurdaspur district, he said the SAD-BJP alliance government has decided to disburse compensation to farmers having land close to the fence and added that hundreds of farmers having land around 21,000 acres have been benefited by this initiative.
"The state government is duty bound to forever extend a helping hand to the brave farmers of the border region, who face a lot of hardships due to fencing,' Badal said, adding, "I assure you that no stone will be left unturned to help the valiant sons of this soil."

Emphasising that he was well aware of the "peculiar situation of these farmers", he said he has often raised this matter with the Union Government.
He said the SAD-BJP alliance, which was also in power in 1997-2002, had initiated the scheme of giving relief worth Rs 2,500 per acre to the farmers and now it has been enhanced to Rs 10,000 per acre.
However, hitting out at the Congress, he alleged that the governments led by the party both in the state and Centre had never bothered about the interests of the farmers.
"The Congress regime (in Punjab) led by Amarinder Singh (2002-07) had discontinued this relief," he claimed.