Punjab Cabinet allows farmers to sell sand deposited in their fields during the floods

Mann was admitted to a hospital in Mohali on Thursday night after he suffered an electrolyte imbalance.

In a video message from the hospital, the chief minister announced, “The government will give Rs 20,000 per acre for the crop loss. This is the biggest amount ever announced by any state so far.

“Due to floods, silt has come to the fields. Beas used to be wide. Now, it has narrowed. A lot of water came. We are starting a new scheme.”

On farm compensation, he said, the money will be given through cheques. Further, the CM announced Rs 4 lakh compensation for the kin of those who lost their lives in the floods.

Punjab will also provide financial assistance for damaged houses. “The farmers who have taken loans from banks and cooperative societies, we will enhance the limit by six more months. There will be no instalment and interest levied on this delayed repayment,” Mann said.

The government will compensate for the loss of cattle in the floods, he added.

Moreover, fogging will be carried out in as many as 1,700 villages and 300 municipal wards to prevent vector-borne diseases. All flood-affected persons will be vaccinated against diseases like cholera. “There will not be a single village where we will not send our teams,” the CM said, adding that “I am unwell. Anybody can fall sick. I am also a human. But I worry about my Punjab. I called the chief secretary and DGP to the hospital and asked them to oversee relief operations.”