Paddy farmers to get aid of Rs 100 per quintal

Tribune News Service

Nawanshahr, November 13

Following directions from the Supreme Court and in a bid to encourage farmers not to burn paddy straw and agricultural residue, the Punjab government will give a financial aid of Rs100 per quintal to small and marginal farmers.

A meeting in this regard was chaired by Deputy Commissioner Vinay Bublani here on Wednesday to outline the plan to implement the financial aid scheme at ground level.

Divulging details, Bublani said the Punjab government would provide compensation of up to Rs 100 per quintal to small and marginal farmers with landholding of less than 5 acres, who do not burn paddy straw and agricultural residue in their fields. He stated that the last date for the submission of applications fixed as November 30. The scheme is limited to non-basmati cultivators only.

The Deputy Commissioner further said farmers who did not burn paddy straw and agricultural residue this year and vow to not burn it in coming days can avail this benefit. He said farmers can use the form published in newspapers. The form would be filled by farmers themselves, after which they would submit it to the concerned agricultural services societies after getting verified from their village panchayats. The cooperative societies were further asked to upload these farms to the online portal. He further clarified that only those farmers whose landholding of entire family is less than 5 acres, would be benefitted.

Chairing meeting of ADC (D), SDMs, DDPO, BDPOs, DR cooperative societies, DSM/ASM (land records), he issued clear instructions to officials to ensure that the directions of Supreme Court are publicised everywhere so that maximum number of farmers can be benefitted and those farmers, who burn paddy straw, should be encouraged to not burn it and avail full benefit of this scheme.

The DC also directed SDMs that they should start providing financial aid to farmers of those villages, where paddy straw was not burnt at all on a priority basis so that farmers can be encouraged.

SDM Nawanshar Jagdish Singh Johal, SDM Banga Gautam Jain, SDM Balachaur Jasbir Singh, DDPO Davinder Kumar, BDPOs of all blocks and agriculture officers were present on the occasion.