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With the harvesting of wheat about to start, standing wheat crop was damaged after unseasonal rains accompanying strong winds lashed Punjab and Haryana last week. However, the Chief Ministers of the two states have promised compensation for the crop loss.
"The strong winds and rain have damaged our wheat crop. The government should immediately order girdawri (harvest inspection) and offer compensation to farmers," said Gurdev Singh, a farmer in Moga district of Punjab.
Punjab produces about 130 lakh tonnes wheat, while in Haryana it is over 85 lakh tonnes.
Fearing widespread crop loss, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced a 25 per cent upward revision in the compensation for the crop loss.
The Chief Minister, who conducted a whirlwind tour of villages in Moga, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Bathinda and Patiala to assess the damage, said on Sunday in case the loss is more than 75 per cent then the state government will compensate the farmers with Rs 15,000 per acre.
Likewise, he said, if the loss was between 33 and 75 per cent then the farmers will get a compensation worth Rs 6,750 per acre.
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Similarly, Mann said the labourers will get 10 per cent as compensation so that they do not face any problem in life, adding Rs 95,100 will be paid as compensation to full house damage whereas Rs 5,200 will be given for minor damage to houses.
The Chief Minister further said in order to safeguard the interests of the farmers from nature's fury, the government will soon introduce a crop insurance scheme for the food growers of the country.
He said earlier the crop insurance scheme announced by the Union government had remained confined to the papers only but this scheme will give real succor to the farmers.
On the other hand, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the farmers would get full compensation for crop loss by May after assessing the damage due to the unseasonal rains and hailstorms.
He said the work of agirdawari' would be completed in 15 days and compensation would be given to all the farmers in a transparent manner.
He said the government has given compensation of Rs 1,300 crore to the farmers.
It is mandatory for the farmers to fill the details of their losses on the e-Fasal Kshatipurti portal.
"Apart from this, those farmers who cannot fill the assessment of losses on the portal themselves can get it filled by visiting the Common Service Centre. Its expenses will be borne by the government," Khattar added.
He said the farmers who get crop insurance are paid by the company and the farmers who do not get insurance will be given compensation of Rs 15,000 per acre by the government.
--IANS
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