Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here on Sunday pitched for introducing a long-term crop insurance scheme by the Centre to protect farmers from the vagaries of the nature.
He said the scheme must be brought at the earliest, else the food security of the country would be periled.
The Union government must introduce this at the earliest for protecting the peasantry from the vagaries of the weather, he said.
Badal is on a tour to assess the damage caused to crops in the villages of Muktsar and Fazilika districts due to a hailstorm last night.
He said that it was unfortunate that thousands of acres of ‘golden harvest’ of the farmers have been ruined due to this natural calamity, which would further accentuate the miseries of the farmers, who were already reeling under a heavy debt.
In this hour of crisis, the Union government must swing into action by forming a long-term policy, he said.
The chief minister said that Centre must also adequately compensating the farmers for such heavy losses.
Badal said that he would soon impress upon the Centre to take the necessary steps so that interests of the farmers could be safeguarded.
“We are committed to help the farmers and no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause,” he added.
He said that in a “pro-farmer” initiative the NDA government has now revised the relief norms to the distressed farmers for the crop damage due to natural calamities across the country, adding now the farmers would be eligible for input subsidy if 33 per cent of their crop has been damaged instead of earlier norms of 50 per cent or more.
However, Badal said that the relief norms for the affected farmers must be enhanced to 10,000 per acre.
—PTI