The Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said here today that he was personally monitoring the government's expeditious response to the white fly menace on a day to day basis to ensure that the affected farmers are compensated in a most transparent and expeditious manner.I am feeling the anguish of my farmers at the deeply personal level and this remains the top priority of the state government. There would be a zero tolerance for any laxity or lapse found at any level in the government machinery. We are one with the already beleaguered peasantry in their hour of crisis," said Mr Badal in a statement here.
He said that the government would fully stand by and compensate the hapless farmers of the state for the losses suffered by them to the cotton crop.I have personally put the entire operation on the most swift mode. Rs. 10 crore had already been released for the farmers who had ploughed their crop back because of the total loss caused by the white fly. The process of compensation to the other affected farmers is also already on. "A special girdwari had been ordered and it is being carried out most expeditiously with instructions for completing it by 25th of this month. ," said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister presided over an emergency high level meeting of the Revenue department at his residence here this morning to review the progress of the on-going . The meeting considered how the problem of 'white fly' had been aggravated due to deficient rain during this season. In the previous years, the larva of 'white fly' used to be washed away with torrential rain. This unfortunately didn't happen this year, and that has led to substantial loss for the farming community. This had forced the farmers to plough back their cotton crop extensively damaged due to attack from whitefly in an area of 11,780 acres spreading over six districts of Malwa belt. Out of total 4.50 lakh hectares area under cotton cultivation, the crop over 4574 hectares had been 100 percent damaged. Girdwari had so far been conducted in nearly 1.36 lakh hectares of land.
Tthe state government had directed the Revenue department to cover the other crops like guar and vegetables besides cotton which had been worst affected by the whitefly for compensation on the similar pattern as followed in case of damaged cotton crop.The Chief Minister also said that the issue of supply of spurious pesticides to farmers would be thoroughly investigate. The CM had already asked the Director Bureau of Investigation to immediately take strict action against those dealers who supplied fake pesticides to dupe the innocent farmers. Mr. Badal that those who had played havoc with the interests of the farmers would be dealt with severely. It may be recalled that state police department had already taken 208 samples of such substandard pesticides from the dealers in the Malwa belt and an appropriate action would be taken against such erring suppliers after the enquiry.Prominent amongst other who attended the meeting this meeting were Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Mr. Suresh Kumar, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar and Special Secretary Agriculture Mr. Daljeet Singh.