Punjab: Ahead of Modi’s visit: Farmers to get ₹20k per acre for crop damage: Mann cabinet

Punjab cabinet approves a flood relief package with ₹20,000 per acre for farmers and ₹4 lakh for loss of life ahead of PM Modi's visit.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab, the state cabinet on Monday approved a flood relief package, including ₹20,000 per acre compensation to farmers for crop damage, ₹4 lakh ex gratia for loss of life, and permission to landowners to remove and sell the sand deposited in their fields by floodwaters.

The cabinet decisions were announced by CM Bhagwant Mann through a video message from a private hospital in Mohali. (HT File)

The cabinet decisions were announced by CM Bhagwant Mann through a video message from a private hospital in Mohali after a meeting of the state cabinet here. Mann attended the cabinet meeting virtually from the hospital, where he has been admitted since September 5 due to exhaustion and a low heart rate. Mann said that the government will give a compensation of up to ₹20,000 per acre to farmers whose crops, primarily paddy, were destroyed by floods, calling it the highest-ever per acre relief given by any government in the country.

These decisions came a day before Modi’s much-awaited visit, amid repeated demands from leaders of the ruling AAP and opposition for a ₹20,000 crore special central package for the state in view of the enormity of the flood losses. Questioning Modi and the central government’s silence on floods and financial assistance for the state, AAP ministers and leaders have urged the PM to announce a suitable package to address the state’s dire situation, and not reduce his visit to a mere “photo-op.” The Mann government was also drawing flak from opposition parties in the state for failing to announce compensation for the flood-hit people, particularly farmers whose fields were inundated and crops destroyed.

Punjab is grappling with its worst floods in four decades, triggered by the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and heavy rainfall that has affected 3.87 lakh people in 2,064 villages. The government has so far evacuated 22,938 people from the worst-affected areas. Crop over 4.56 lakh acres has been affected so far. A total of 51 people have been killed in various rain and flood-related incidents across the state in the past one month.

Farmers allowed to sell sand from fields

The cabinet also approved a ‘Jisda Khet Usdi Ret’ (one who owns the field, owns the land) policy, allowing landowners in flood-affected areas to extract and sell sand deposited in their fields by floodwaters as a one-time measure. “Farmers will be able to sell the sand till December 31,” he said.

According to the decision, the deputy commissioner will declare the list of affected villages in a district where the operation of removal and lifting of deposited silt, sand, or river borne material would be done by the affected farmers, cultivators or group of farmers affected by flood material deposition.

“All district mining officers as well as district level and sub-divisional level monitoring committees will facilitate the removal and lifting of such material deposits on the affected cultivable lands, without disturbance of the original ground surface by way of pits, trenches or otherwise,” the cabinet decided. On Sunday, Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia indicated that such a policy was in the works, as farmers were worried about the upcoming rabi season crops due to large deposits of silt and sand on their fields hampering cultivation.

The cabinet decided to provide ₹4 lakh ex-gratia compensation to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the floods. Another major decision was to introduce a six-month moratorium on the repayment of cooperative and agriculture development bank loans. No interest will be charged on loans for this period, according to the decision. Compensation for the loss of livestock and damage to houses would be given after an on-ground assessment after the water recedes. “Roads, power infrastructure, schools, and government buildings will be repaired on war footing. The government will also run a massive cleanliness drive and hold medical camps in flood-affected areas,” said the chief minister.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 31, Mann had requested the Centre government to revise the crop damage compensation from ₹15,000 per acre to ₹50,000 per acre, pointing out that crops were almost at the harvesting stage. Of the ₹15,000 per acre compensation, ₹6,800 were provided from the disaster relief funds from the centre and the state government contributed the remaining ₹8,200. “The norms should be revised, and at least ₹50,000 per acre should be given to farmers,” he wrote, assuring that the state government would continue to contribute 25% as per the scheme. He also requested the central government to double the ex-gratia for loss of life from ₹4 lakh per person to ₹8 lakh per person