Punjab Govt doing politics over natural calamity, says Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said the Central government was committed to helping the flood-affected people of Punjab and was ready to provide financial help under various provisions, but the Punjab Government and CM Bhagwant Mann were more inclined towards doing politics over the calamity.

He said the Central government provides relief to states under various schemes and the proposals have to be sent under the provisions of those schemes only. “The Punjab Government had submitted a list of 14,000 houses damaged in the floods. On Monday at 9 pm, the Punjab Government sent a proposal of 36,703 houses more. The Rural Development Minister did not come, but I have handed over the approval letter to Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian today,” he said.

In Mohali during the last leg of his one-day tour to the state, Chouhan said the farmers of Punjab would have got more financial help had the state government implemented the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana. “Twenty-three states of the country have implemented it, but the Punjab Government is not ready to do it. I have written two letters to the Punjab CM regarding it, but nothing happened,” he claimed.

Chouhan, who reached the venue late by almost two hours, said, “One reason of his reaching late was that the village road from Tepi to Doraha was in a pitiable condition. Most of the village roads are in a very bad condition. It was not so earlier. I encountered a few people holding placards, asking me not to come to Punjab. But this is not the time for politics,” he said.

Listing out the provisions under which flood relief can be provided, the minister said Rs 1,600 crore special package had been given to the state. Rs 240 crore has been allocated to the state under the SDRF and Rs 74 crore approval had been given under the MIDH for farmers whose fruit- bearing trees have suffered damage.

“I have come to know that when farmers approach to buy fertiliser, certain other things are tagged along with it. This is illegal and the state government has to stop it,” he said.