CHANDIGARH, April 6 — Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has approached Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to request urgent assistance for farmers following widespread crop destruction caused by unseasonal rain and hailstorms. In a formal statement issued Monday, Warring declared that heavy weather conditions have devastated ripe wheat crops across a large portion of the state, particularly within the Malwa belt.
The PCC president maintained that the extent of the damage has rendered the flattened crops unusable even for fodder.
Raising the severity of the situation, he asserted that the current devastation mirrors the impact of the major floods experienced last year. Warring stated that he intends to meet with the Union Minister in Delhi after conducting personal visits to the affected agricultural regions to plead for immediate financial aid.
Criticism was also directed at the Punjab government for what Warring described as a failure to provide timely relief. He affirmed that previous compensation for flood-related losses remains pending for many residents, leading to a lack of confidence in the state’s current promises. The Congress leader noted that the standard announcement of a ‘girdawari’ or survey often serves to delay actual assistance rather than facilitate it.
Warring declared that if the state’s intentions were supportive, interim relief would be provided immediately instead of waiting for lengthy survey reports. He stated that the farming community cannot afford to wait indefinitely for the completion of administrative assessments given the disappointing experience with past compensation cycles. The Punjab Congress remains committed to ensuring that the central government recognizes the urgency of the agricultural crisis.
