Following devastating floods and heavy rainfall that ravaged Punjab, leaving countless people displaced and farmlands submerged, the government is set to provide significant relief to affected farmers. Manish Sisodia, the AAP in-charge for Punjab, announced that farmers would be permitted to remove accumulated sand from their fields in the aftermath of the floods. Speaking to journalists on Sunday, September 7th, Sisodia highlighted the critical concern of silt accumulation in the fields, which poses a major obstacle to the next crop cycle. He emphasized the substantial losses farmers have incurred due to the destruction of crops caused by the floods. Sisodia noted the difficulty in cultivating crops in fields laden with sand and stated that farmers had raised this issue with authorities. The AAP leader also mentioned the existing mining policy, which currently prohibits unauthorized mining. He stated that the state government will introduce a policy enabling farmers to extract sand from their fields. He assured that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has acknowledged the farmers’ concerns and has decided to allow sand mining from their fields. An official announcement regarding this matter is expected within the next couple of days. Regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to Punjab on September 9th, Sisodia called for substantial relief measures based on an assessment of the devastation. He acknowledged the discussions between the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister, including communication with Amit Shah and Shivraj Singh Chauhan, but noted the lack of concrete action from the central government. Sisodia urged the Prime Minister to assess the situation and take necessary steps to provide relief to Punjab, requesting the release of 60,000 crore rupees, which he claimed is pending from the central government.
