Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal announces Rs 600 crore aid for affected cotton growers

CHAPAR: After facing criticism for paying meagre compensation to cotton growers, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced to disburse Rs 600 crore of compensation to farmers whose crops were damaged by Whitefly attack in the state.

Badal said that he was well aware about the agony faced by the farming community due to whopping loss suffered by them on account of pest attack for which he had asked the officers yesterday to disburse Rs 600 crore so that farmers could be bailed out during this hour of crisis.

A gigantic operation would be launched by the state government to distribute this relief amongst affected farmers, Badal said during a political conference at Chapar Mela here today.

"We are firmly behind the hard working and resilient farmers of the state to help them in this hour of crisis" added Badal.

The Chief Minister that it was on record that whenever our farmers had faced any sort of problem the SAD-BJP alliance government has came to their rescue.

Citing examples, he said that during the last more than eight years, the state government has provided free power to farmers worth Rs 28,000 crore otherwise their problems would have accentuated manifold on account of tube well bills.

Likewise, Badal said when wheat crop was damaged due to untimely rains in April 2015, the state government ensured that every grain was lifted.

He said that the state government took every step to resolve the impending sugarcane crisis by ensuring the payment of arrears to the farmers from private and cooperative sugar mills.

Whitefly has caused extensive damage to crop in Punjab with 1.36 lakh hectares of area out of 4.50 lakh hectares was 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.