Nihalgarh (Sangrur): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that instead of requesting the centre for compensating the farmers for crop loss due to rains, but the state government will bear the entire expense of the burden being faced by the farmers due to the cut being imposed by Government of India (GOI) on damaged wheat grain.
“We are not going to request the centre to not impose the cut but we will extract compensation for the interests of farmers when centre will seek supply of grains in terms of wheat and paddy for the national food pool”, said the Chief Minister, while addressing the gathering after unveiling the statue of eminent freedom fighter Comrade Teja Singh Sutantar.
He said that the farmers have suffered huge loss due to incessant rains but the indifferent centre government has not done anything to bail them out. Rather, he said that to rub salt into wounds of farmers the centre has imposed a cut on the damaged, slightly damaged, shriveled and broken grains along with those having high moisture content. Bhagwant Mann said that the limit of shriveled and broken grains has been relaxed up to 18% under uniform specifications.
Giving more details, he said that the value cut is not applicable on wheat having shriveled and broken grains upto 6% whereas Value cut of Rs. 5.31 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 6% and upto 8%. Further, he said that the value cut of Rs. 10.62 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 8% and upto 10% whereas value cut of Rs. 15.93 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 10% and upto 12%.
Similarly, Bhagwant Mann said that in an arbitrary decision the centre has further decided to impose value cut of Rs. 21.25 per quintal on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 12% and upto 14% adding that value cut of Rs. 26.56 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 14% and upto 16% whereas value cut of Rs. 31.87 per quintal will be deducted on wheat having shriveled and broken grains above 16% and upto 18%.
Likewise, he further said that as per decision of centre value cut is not applicable on wheat having luster loss grains upto 10%. He said that a value cut of Rs. 5.31 per quintal on a flat basis will be deducted on wheat having luster loss grains above 10% and upto 80%. Bhagwant Mann said that already the centre has not released the share of state under GST and RDF adding that much to the dismay of the state now this decision has been imposed on the farmers of the state, who were already in crisis due to inclement weather.
Urging the farmers not to worry, the Chief Minister said that the state government is competent to secure the rights of the farmers and they will not beg the centre to help the food growers. However, he said that instead of bailing the farmers in this hour of crisis, the centre has decided to impose a cut on damaged, slightly damaged, shriveled and broken grains. But, Bhagwant Mann said that the state is solidly with the farmers in this grave situation and the Punjab government will bear the entire expenditure for the loss being suffered by the farmers due to cut by the centre.
Mann asserted that in a major relief to the farmers of the state the state government has announced 25% upward revision in the compensation for the crop loss to the farmers. He said that in case the loss is more than 75% then the state government will compensate the farmers with Rs 15,000 per acre. Bhagwant Mann said that the motive is to ensure the well being of the farmers at all costs adding that special Girdawari is going on in state and the compensation will be disbursed before Baisakhi.
He said that the state government is fully with the beleaguered peasantry in this hour of deep crisis. He said that for the first time before Girdawari public announcements are being made about the entire process to ensure that all the people are made aware of it. Bhagwant Mann said that earlier instead of this the Girdawaris were usually conducted in office or residence of politically affluent people but now these are being done in free and fair manner to ensure that every tiller gets the compensation.
Mann said that on the agriculture front, the state government has already paid all the pending arrears of the sugarcane arrears. Bhagwant Mann said that his government has also ensured that the farmers get uninterrupted power supply during the paddy season last year adding that the same will be ensured this year too. He said that the state government is committed for the well being of the farmers of the state and no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause this time too.