Cotton crop loss: Farm labourers yet to get aid

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, January 18

Despite the fact that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had announced on December 24 last year during his Sangat Darshan programme here that 10 per cent of the total compensation amount given to a village for the loss of cotton crop would be given to panchayats to disburse it among farm labourers/cotton pickers, neither the money has so far been released nor the beneficiaries identified.

Badal had said if a village got Rs 1.8 crore as compensation against cotton crop loss to farmers, the state government would give its 10 per cent amount to farm labourers in the village.

He had even directed Special Principal Secretary KJS Cheema to get the amount released to the districts at the earliest and start the disbursement work. However, as per the representatives of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, panchayat secretaries and sarpanches were still doing the survey to identify farm labourers and that too on the basis of electricity connection.

“A survey is underway in villages where panchayat secretaries and sarpanches are noting down the details of those having power connection, bank account and Aadhaar card. This is, however, not the right way to identify farm labourers. A common village meeting must be called where labourers should be identified,” said Tarsem Singh, general secretary, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, Muktsar. Kuljit Pal Singh Mahi, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Muktsar, said, “We are yet to get the notification of the government for the disbursal of compensation among farm labourers.”

Notably, the state government had in October announced a compensation of Rs 64 crore for farm labourers, mainly cotton pickers, but in the absence of any policy, the compensation could not be disbursed till date. A team led by Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Suresh Kumar and Financial Commissioner (Revenue) Karan Avtar Singh too had recently visited the cotton belt of the state to get suggestions from villagers in this regard.

Now, farmers and farm labourer unions have announced to gherao Badal village from January 22 to 24 seeking Rs 40,000 per acre compensation for the loss of cotton growers and Rs 20,000 per acre for the loss of cotton pickers. Besides, they are demanding compensation amount for suicide victims, waiver of electricity bills of farm labourers and resumption of atta dal scheme.

Courtesy: The Tribune