Congress today accused SAD-BJP led Punjab government of being insensitive towards cotton growers' woes and alleged that affected farmers were being given compensation cheques of Rs 10 to 100.
"Farmers whose crop got damaged by whitefly are being given compensation of Rs 10 to Rs 100. It is an insult to hapless farmers and it is like rubbing salt into their wounds," Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar said today.
"Is this the way you are going to help out affected growers?" Jakhar asked, adding, "the state government has become completely insensitive towards growers' problems."
He said cotton farmers in Bathinda are being paid cheque as low as Rs 10 as compensation for their crop loss caused by pest attack.
"This is not the first time that tragedy has struck farmers and you (state government) are giving lame excuses of joint holding of land behind low compensation amount," the Leader of Opposition said.
Punjab government had announced to give immediate compensation of Rs 10 crore to cotton growers whose crop was extensively damaged by whitefly attack.
"If we go by low rate of Rs 10,000 per acre as money put in by farmer in cotton crop, it works out at Rs 1,200 crore as total amount spent by farmers over 12 lakh acres of total cotton area in the state. And you are giving compensation of just Rs 10 crore," he wondered, saying why the state was not using Rs 193 crore lying in the account of state disaster relief fund for paying compensation.
Whitefly has caused extensive damage to crop in Punjab with 1.36 lakh hectares of area, out of 4.50 lakh hectares, being affected by pest attack in the state.
Farmers have uprooted the 100 per cent damaged crop at 11,780 acres area in Muktsar, Fazilka, Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot and Barnala districts of the state.
Meanwhile, Punjab Agriculture Minister Tota Singh said that compensation cheques are distributed on the basis of land record available with the revenue department.
"The compensation amount appears less as there are several joint holders of the land and compensation is divided amongst them," he said, adding that the proper way to assess things was that how much crop was damaged and how much compensation was awarded in a village.
Agitating farmers have been protesting in Bathinda for the last several days in protest against the "insensitive" attitude of state government. They have been demanding compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre for cotton damage due to whitefly attack.
