Punjab Govt Sets up Helpline for Farmers to Register Aid Complaints

The state government of Punjab is facing a challenge in completing the special girdawari, which is the assessment of losses, in time to provide compensation to farmers on the occasion of Baisakhi.

Heavy rains have caused damage to almost 40% of the standing wheat crop, estimated at 13.60 lakh hectares out of 34.90 lakh hectares of land across 16 districts in the state, resulting in a loss of lustre in most places. Complaints have been received that the laid down procedure for girdawari was not being followed in some places. In response to this, the agriculture minister, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, has announced a helpline number for farmers to report any inappropriate or unfair practice.

Teams deployed by the Center have gathered samples, and an announcement about a relaxation of the procurement standards is anticipated shortly. To assess the crop loss, revenue staff has been directed to upload details on the geographic information system. However, the patwaris' union has cited a shortage of staff, which could pose a hurdle in the timely completion of the girdawari.

The compensation for crop loss to farmers in the state has been increased by 25%. The new compensation of Rs 6,800 per acre will be given if the loss is more than 75%, which is an increase from the previous amount of Rs 5,400 per acre. The ongoing work of girdawari is being supervised by the agriculture minister, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, who has provided a helpline number, 9309388088, for farmers to register any complaints regarding the girdawari process.

On Saturday, Rajya Sabha MP from AAP, Raghav Chadha, visited fields to interact with farmers and wrote a letter to Union finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, demanding a special package for Punjab.

Chadha also sent samples of the damaged wheat crop along with the letter and emphasized that the Centre cannot absolve itself of its responsibility towards the farmers, as Punjab has made a significant contribution to the nation's food security. He urged Sitharaman to consider providing a special package to Punjab to adequately compensate the farmers for their losses.