Congress demands immediate Rs 20k per acre flood compensation for Punjab farmers

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, has urged the state government to release immediate compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre to farmers whose crops were devastated by recent floods, calling the disaster one of the worst the state has faced in decades.

Bajwa criticised the AAP-led Punjab government for delays in aid distribution, stating that farmers cannot afford to wait for lengthy bureaucratic processes such as surveys and 'girdawaris' (official damage assessments).

"The fields of Punjab are under water and mud, farmers are staring at ruin, and yet the AAP government is telling them to wait for surveys and 'girdawaris'," he said.

"Farmers need urgent relief today, not bureaucratic excuses. Rs 20,000 per acre should be paid instantly," Bajwa stressed.

He proposed a two-part compensation package, suggesting that a second instalment of Rs 30,000 per acre be released following proper assessment, totalling Rs 50,000 per acre for affected farmers. He estimated that nearly four lakh acres of farmland had been submerged.

"This Rs 800 crore immediate relief is not a big demand, it is the minimum lifeline that Punjab's farmers deserve right now," Bajwa added.

The Congress leader also targeted Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, alleging that despite the Union government having released Rs 1,582 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the money had not reached farmers.

"Why is the money lying idle when Punjab's farmers are in tears? Why is relief being held back in the name of assessment? The truth is simple -- the government does not care," he said.

Bajwa cited a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report stating that the SDRF had a total corpus of Rs 9,041 crore as of 31 March 2023. "Why is CM Mann not uttering a single word on it?" he questioned.

He further accused the Chief Minister of avoiding engagement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the aftermath of the floods.
"A real CM would have stood before the PM, demanded additional compensation and fought for Punjab's rightful share. But Bhagwant Mann chose to remain absent, abandoning the people of Punjab in their worst crisis," Bajwa remarked.

In addition to crop compensation, Bajwa demanded that the remaining funds be allocated fairly to cover livestock losses, damaged homes, and infrastructure repairs.

"But instead of standing with the people, the AAP is busy with advertisements, PR and making excuses," he concluded.