Punjab govt announces relief for debt-ridden farmers

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today directed all Deputy Commissioners to hold monthly meetings of district level committees to expeditiously dispose compensation cases of debt-ridden farmers who have committed suicide.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister during a meeting with the delegation of various farmers organisations here, an official spokesman said.
The compensation to the families of farmers, who had committed suicides, was given by the state government after recommendation from the district level Committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioners.
Badal said during the meeting that till now the state government had released about Rs 99 crore for this purpose but if any case was still pending it would be cleared on priority basis.

The state government has also enhanced the amount of compensation given to the such families from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.
On the issue of wheat procurement, he said that initially there were some hiccups on account of damaged crop due to unseasonal rains.

However, he said that now the matter has been streamlined and payments were being made to farmers within 48 hours.
Badal said that the state government has deputed senior IAS officers in the grain markets to ensure prompt and hassle free procurement and lifting of the grains.
The Union government was bearing the value cut in Minimum Support Price of wheat adding that they were determined to ensure that the farmers do not have to bear this cut in any case, the state chief minister added.

The farmer was not responsible for the damage caused to their crop due to vagaries of weather and thus would not be allowed to bear value cut in quality of their produce in any case, he said.
The state government is firmly committed to take every possible step to safeguard their interests in future too.
Badal said that the state government was compensating the farmer for the damage to their crop due to unseasonal rains by giving them a relief of Rs 8000 per acre.
Referring to the complaints regarding laxity on the part of the government machinery for undertaking special Girdawaris to assess the loss in some parts of the state, he also asked the Financial Commissioner Revenue (FCR) to depute special teams of the officers so that no farmer was deprived of the compensation.

Badal said that the Union government has enhanced the amount of compensation in case of death of Milch cattle due to natural disaster from existing Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 and damage to the house from existing Rs 75,000 to Rs 96,000.
Badal announced to enhance the compensation given to the farmers on account of loss of crop due to fire broke out of short circuit from existing Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000.
The state government also announced to defer the recovery of crop loans of the Co-operative banks from them till next crop season.