Punjab: Amarinder orders completion of crop loss assessment at earliest

Amid fears of extensive crop damage due to unseasonal rains, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Thursday asked the chief secretary to complete the loss assessment exercise at the earliest.

The chief minister also called for an urgent meeting of the disaster management committee to assess the extent of the losses while taking serious note of the crop damage caused by strong winds and unseasonable rains.

High-speed winds and rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday damaged the Rabi crops in the state, prompting Singh to order a special 'girdawari' (crop loss assessment survey).

On Thursday, Singh also asked the chief secretary to issue detailed guidelines to the district commissioners to enable completion of the special 'girdawari' on priority basis.

Taking stock of the reports submitted by the agriculture department, the chief minister directed officials to ensure timely disbursement of compensation to the affected farmers as per government norms.

The Shiromani Akali Dal has demanded that every affected farmer be given a minimum compensation of Rs 15,000 per acre, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has sought 100 per cent compensation for the affected farmers.

In a statement, AAP MLA and Punjab Kisan Wing chief Kultar Singh Sandhwan dubbed the losses suffered by the farmers "immeasurable".