BJP demands Rs 8-cr compensation to Punjab farmers for crop loss

Over 2,800 acres of wheat crop was damaged in accidental fire in the region

The BJP on Thursday demanded that the Punjab government release Rs 8 crore for farmers whose wheat crop got damaged in accidental fires this season, saying the losses may drive the growers to commit suicide.

The BJP's Punjab vice president, Harjit Singh Grewal, and the party's farmers wing chief, Sukhpal Singh Nanu, said that as per the records of the state government, wheat crop over 2,800 acres in 20 districts was damaged in fires.

They urged Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to immediately announce a relief of Rs 12,000 per acre to such farmers.

The chief minister should try and understand the gravity of the situation. It is not only the family of the farmer which is affected but farm workers are also hit, they said.

They feared the growers and the farm workers may commit suicide if timely action was not taken and urged the chief minister to announce a Rs 8-crore relief package taking into consideration the minimum support price, the rate at which the government purchases crops from the farmers.

Recently, the BJP government in Haryana had announced Rs 12,000 per acre as compensation to the farmers who suffered crop losses due to fires.

Lightning, snapping of high tension power lines and human negligence are some of the factors that lead to fires in the fields.