The Hindu : National : Badal challenges Congress for debate on flood relief

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Badal challenges Congress for debate on flood relief

Special Correspondent

Calls upon Bhattal to help the government
Blames Centre for fixing Rs.1400 per acre for crop loss

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday blamed the previous Congress government in the State for the inadequate relief to the flood victims as the norms fixed for disbursement of Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) in 2005 were proving to be a hurdle.

An official release said the Chief Minister would welcome a debate on issues related to floods and relief measures in the forthcoming session of the Punjab Assembly beginning September 4. He called upon Leader of the Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal to join the efforts of the government for making the Centre revise the norms.

It said Mr. Badal was “greatly embarrassed” when the State government approached the Centre for revision of the norms. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil informed him that the quantum of relief was fixed only after the recommendations and approval of the Punjab government. “It was then I became aware of the shockingly low norms recommended by the Congress government in Punjab.”

Mr. Badal through a letter to Ms. Bhattal said, “You could not have been a willing party to the decision as anyone familiar with farming inputs would know that the loss suffered at this stage of paddy would be anything between Rs.20000 to RS.25000 per acre.”

The Congress-led UPA government at the Centre fixed a meagre Rs.1400 per acre for total loss of crops, he said. He said the Congress government, headed by Captain Amarinder Singh, spent just Rs.81 crore as relief during natural calamities including heavy floods in Patiala and Sangrur districts as well as severe drought. His government had already disbursed relief worth Rs.182 crore as calamity relief in the last 18 months, he said adding that the government had used its own resources by extending relief to Rs.5000 per acre.

He said Ms. Bhattal would be aware that it was not possible for the State government to draw funds from the CRF in excess of the norms fixed by the Centre.

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