Govt delaying girdawari to benefit insurance firms: Cong

CHANDIGARH: Randeep Surjewala, communication in charge of the Congress, has alleged that the BJP government was delaying special girdawari of loss suffered by sugarcane, paddy, cotton and bajra farmers to ‘benefit’ the private companies operating the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Biza Yojana (PMFBY).

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala shows pictures of damaged crops at a press conference in Chandigarh on Monday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 15

Randeep Surjewala, communication in charge of the Congress, has alleged that the BJP government was delaying special girdawari of loss suffered by sugarcane, paddy, cotton and bajra farmers to ‘benefit’ the private companies operating the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Biza Yojana (PMFBY).

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Surjewala alleged that on one hand, farmers were being deprived of even minimum support price (MSP) and, on the other, untimely rains and hailstorm had destroyed 25 to 40 per cent of crops.

“The farmer is facing insurmountable misery and exploitation as the Khattar government has become a mute spectator. Not conducting a special girdawari has exposed the anti-farmer face of Khattar government,” he asserted.

He alleged that even today, thousands of acres in Dadri, Badhra, Mundhal, Jhajjar, Meham, Julana, Safidon, Jind and Kaithal were waterlogged but the Khattar government was in deep slumber. Extensive damage had been caused to bajra and cotton crops in Narnaul, Mahendergarh, Kanina, Bawal, Rewari, Haily Mandi and Farukhnagar in Southern Haryana by untimely rains. Similarly, unexpected hailstorms on October 11 and 12 had caused extensive damage to rice and sugarcane crops in Ambala, Yamunanagar and Panchkula districts, he claimed.

He asserted that the MSP of paddy was Rs 1,770 per quintal but in almost all grain markets, farmers were being duped and deceived because PR paddy was being sold at Rs 150 to Rs 200 per quintal below the MSP.

“The fraud in purchase of Bajra crop is even bigger. The MSP of millet is Rs 1,950 per quintal but more than 70 per cent of farmers got only Rs 1,300-1,350 per quintal. The stringent condition imposed for the purchase of bajra at MSP has forced a majority of the farmers to sell bajra at much lower prices than the MSP, he alleged.