category Regional,, tags Regional,, DW BUREAU Punjab s Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday reprimanded the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government for announcing too meagre compensation for the farmers, whose wheat crop has got severely damaged by the untimely rainfall and hailstorm. While seeking expansion in the relief package being provided by the AAP government, Senior Congress Leader, Bajwa said that with such scanty compensation, wheat farmers wouldn t even be able to recover their input cost. The Aam Aadmi Party government has recently given a 25 percent hike for the wheat crop loss. The AAP government will now provide Rs 15,000 per acre for 75 to 100 percent crop loss instead of Rs 12,000. However, the wheat crop s input cost (from sowing to harvesting) is around Rs 25,000 per acre. What kind of relief is that with which the farmers would not even be able to recover the input cost The CM must explain how he justifies such an inadequate compensation Bajwa said. Bajwa said that the government should also take those wheat farmers into account who has to pay around Rs 35,000 per acre annual land rent (Theka) to the owners. In some parts of Punjab, the annual land rent (Theka) is above Rs 40,000. The opposition leader said that the prices of diesel, fertilisers, and labour have been skyrocketing. The farmers will have to manage their family exigencies while they would also need money to get prepared to sow the next crop. The government must provide a relief package at least in tune with the input cost so that the hardships of the farming community could be alleviated. The CM said that the compensation will reach the affected farmers before Baisakhi. How would this even be possible when evaluation of the crop loss has not been initiated in the majority of Punjab CM Mann must stop delivering ridiculous statements and ensure proper survey of the crop damage in the entire Punjab , Bajwa added. (editor dailyworld.in)