Punjab govt to compensate farmers to check farmers' suicide

Chandigarh, Mar 13 (UNI) The Punjab government today said it would compensate the farmers for the loss of their crop due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms to check farmers' suicide in the state.

Punjab Agriculture Minister Sucha Singh Langah stressed upon the need for making agriculture a remunerative profession so that suicides by farmers due to indebtness could be checked.

Reviewing the working of the Agriculture Department immediately after assuming of office here, he said the department must come out with a comprehensive draft plan focusing on decentralisation so that farming in the state could become profitable for the farmers.

The Minister pointed out that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had already taken up this issue with the Central government and had urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to raise the Minimum Support Price of wheat to Rs 900.

The Minister also ordered to launch a special drive across the state to assess the damage to the crops, particularly due to hailstorm and rains.

He directed the Deputy Commissioners to depute special teams to assess the damage and submit a report at the earliest so that compensation to the farmers could be announced.

Meanwhile, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Ajit Singh Kohar also echoed similar sentiments on the issue of compensation to farmers.

While addressing the first meeting of the officers of the department, the Minister directed the officers to immediately comply with the directions of the Chief Minister in this regard.

UNI