Punjab agriculture minister, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, has directed the principal secretary of agriculture to gather information on farmers who have not received compensation for crop damage by May 15.
The minister conveyed this message during a meeting held on Wednesday with representatives of various non-political farm bodies that are a part of the Sanyukat Kisan Morcha. Dhaliwal has instructed the principal secretary to obtain the details of the affected farmers who have not yet received compensation from the deputy commissioners. This information will help in providing compensation to the farmers as soon as possible. Additionally, the minister has ordered officials and employees of the state revenue and agriculture departments to submit a report on girdawari, which is an evaluation of crop loss.
Meanwhile, another group of farm bodies has been protesting significantly in the state by blocking trains and demanding the release of pending compensation for crop damage during previous seasons. The minister has informed farmer representatives that he has already written to the Centre about the problems faced by farmers living near the international border.
The farmer representatives expressed their concerns about landowners near the border or those whose land was acquired by the Border Security Force (BSF). They suggested that these farmers be given land elsewhere. In response, the minister informed them that the state government had written to the Centre to request compensation for farmers whose animals died due to lumpy skin disease. He also assured the farmer representatives that no action would be taken regarding the Land Mortgage Bank's warrants. Furthermore, the government is developing a new policy to grant ownership rights to farmers who are currently occupying the land.
Regarding the payment of 5 lakhs to each family of a farmer who committed suicide, Dhaliwal stated that no cases had been filed yet. However, the government would make a note of any such cases that arise in the future.
In summary, the agriculture minister of Punjab is taking several steps to address the issues faced by farmers in the state. He has directed officials to gather information on farmers who have not received compensation for crop damage and is working towards developing new policies to help farmers secure their land rights.
