Chandigarh: Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian accompanied Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday to survey flood-hit areas in the Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Kapurthala districts. During the visit, Khudian appealed for an immediate and substantial financial relief package from the Centre.Upon his arrival at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Khudian received Chouhan, who was in Punjab to assess the destruction and meet with local farmers. Khudian highlighted that over 4 lakh acres of the state’s agricultural land had been submerged, a devastating impact that threatens both state and national food security. He noted that paddy fields had been the worst affected, with the devastation occurring just weeks before the harvesting season. This resulted in significant losses for farmers and the state’s agricultural economy. The minister added that the rural economy had been further hit by substantial damage to livestock.Expressing concern over the current compensation for flood victims, Khudian stated that the crop damage compensation of Rs 6,800 per acre is insufficient given the extensive losses farmers have suffered. He urged the govt to increase the compensation to at least Rs 50,000 per acre. “Punjab’s contribution to the nation’s food security cannot be overlooked,” he said, emphasizing the state’s pivotal role as an agrarian state that contributes to the central food pool. Khudian also demanded the immediate release of Rs 8,000 crore of Rural Development Fund (RDF) and Market Development Fund (MDF) stalled by the govt. Apart from this, Punjab requires a special package to mitigate the impact of the floods and support the state’s economy, he said.The paddy crop of farmers has been destroyed by the floods in many areas and even where water has receded there is fear of damage to the grains that could result in rejection of the crop at the time of procurement by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). MSID:: 123699811 413 |