Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal today lambasted the Congress led UPA government for being indifferent to the plight of flood hit farmers in Punjab and demanded that a special package should be announced for the affected farmers immediately.Badal, while raising this issue in parliament also castigated a Punjab Congress mp from Punjab who tried to interrupt her speech. She said it was shameful that Punjab Congress mps had failed to take up the issue with the centre and were unable to persuade their own party to give a special package to Punjab.
While speaking about destruction let loose by flood waters in several districts in Punjab, the Bathinda mp said crops had been destroyed in Lakhs of acres and that thousands had been displaced temporarily. Taking a dig at the Union Government, the mp said affected persons were being given minuscule amounts like Rs. 20 per adult and Rs. 15 per child. She said even in case of total destruction of crops farmers were given only Rs 3600 per acre whereas the input cost per acre was Rs. 42,000" Mrs. Badal said.The Bathinda mp said it was ironical that the Union Government was only busy in boasting about passing the land acquisition bill and Food security act but was doing nothing to protect the homeless and starving people in the flood hit areas of Punjab.
Criticizing the union government for its disoriented and obscure policies for funding the relief activities in the calamity hit areas; Ms Badal said the union government was ensuring that if someone somehow survived a natural calamity they would make his life more miserable. She said minuscule amounts given by the UPA to flood hit farmers would make the life of farmers a further hell as they would not be able to buy anything or repair their houses leave alone paying back the the debts incurred due to crop damage and destruction.