10-hr power supply to Punjab farmers from April 1
Bathinda, March 26
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday visited Salebrah, Gomti and Bhai Rupa villages in the district to review the damage to the standing wheat crop due to untimely rain and hailstorm in last few days.
Addressing villagers, Mann said, “No compensation will be given to those who had given their lands on contract. Only cultivators will get relief.”
Further, he said the government stood with the farmers, whose crop had been damaged and claimed that all support would be given to them. He appealed to farmers to use the PAU-recommended sprays and purchase seeds approved by the university.
Mann also appealed farmers to diversify to save water and get better returns. To produce one kg of paddy, they had to use 3,600 litre water. Moreover, rice was not the staple food.
He said experts had suggested that moong should not be sown in the cotton belt, because the area where moong was sown led to whitefly attack on the cotton crop.
He also assured farmers of uninterrupted 8 to 10 hours of power during plantation from April 1.
