Bikram Majithia demands compensation @ Rs 50,000 per acre for basmati growers
Says ‘basmati’ crop damaged over vast swathe in the Majha region
Amritsar, October 28, 2021: Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia today demanded immediate compensation at the rate of Rs 50,000 per acre for ‘basmati’ growers in Majha region whose crop has been damaged across thousands of acres by a hail storm few days back.
In a statement here, Bikram Majithia said it was shocking that despite the fact that the ‘basmati’ crop in more than a dozen villages had been completely destroyed, the Congress government had not even got into the act of conducting a survey of the damage. “This is primarily because Congressmen from the Majha belt are busy in internal feuds even as the farmers suffer despite having six ministers, including two deputy chief ministers, representing the region”.
He said the ‘basmati’ farmers should be compensated at the rate of Rs 50,000 per acre and it should be ensured that both the land owners as well as those who had taken the same on lease were awarded compensation.
Majithia said the ‘basmati’ crop had been destroyed when it was ripe and was on the verge of being harvested. “Due to this the grains have been dislodged by the hail storm and there is nothing left to harvest”. Calling for immediate grant of compensation to the farmers, he said farmers were already stressed due to costly lease and high rates of inputs including diesel. He said this had been compounded this year due to unchecked black marketing of DAP fertilizer”.
He said farmers were also suffering due to an uncaring government which made empty promises only. “Farmers whose crop was damaged earlier have not received compensation even after holding of ‘girdwari’. Even the farmer whom chief minister Charanjit Channi consoled personally after his cotton crop was destroyed by pink bollworm attack, has not received any compensation”.
Stating that peoples’ issues had taken a back seat during Congress regime, the SAD leader asked the chief minister to emulate the example set by former CM Parkash Singh Badal. He said when cotton crop was damaged due to incidence of pests, the then SAD led government had given compensation to farmers as well as farm labourers. “This is needed now also as the farm labour has also lost their livelihood due to destruction of the cotton crop”.
Stating that farmers were not getting their due in the present set up, Majithia said the Congress government had failed to implement the complete loan waiver. “Even farm suicide victim families did not receive the promised compensation or jobs. Now the government has failed in its duty to ensure prompt compensation for crop damage. What can be more anti-farmer?”