Chandigarh, Apr 6 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday said his government has ordered a crop loss assessment to assess damage caused by inclement weather, asserting that affected farmers will be given compensation.
Mann was speaking to reporters while presenting a four-year report card of the power department.
Replying to a question on crop damage in many parts of the state caused by rains and hailstorms, the chief minister said, “We have given orders for ‘girdawari’ and after conducting it, whoever suffered crop damage will be given compensation.” The government is committed to safeguarding farmers’ interests and will compensate losses caused by natural calamities, he added.
On Sunday, farmers had demanded compensation for crop damage caused by rain and hailstorms in various parts of the state.
Farmers have reported extensive crop damage at various locations, including Amritsar, Bathinda, Muktsar, Hoshiarpur, Tarn Taran and Fatehgarh Sahib due to rains and hailstorms.
The farmers had also demanded that the state government conduct a crop loss assessment in affected districts to award compensation to them.
Replying to a question on a bill against sacrilege of religious texts for stricter punishment, Mann said the state government has convened a special session of the Vidhan Sabha on April 13 to amend the Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar Act, 2008.
“A special session has been called on April 13 and we will bring a bill in that session,” Mann said.
“It is a state act and it does not need to be sent to the president (for approval) and it will be implemented on the same day,” claimed Mann.
Last month, Mann had asserted a zero-tolerance stance, saying no one guilty of “beadbi” (sacrilege) would be spared.
On sidelined AAP leader Raghav Chadha’s response to criticism that he did not raise Punjab’s concerns in Parliament, Mann said what he is saying now has no meaning, asserting that he went against the party whip.
“What he says now does not hold any relevance,” he said.
Taking a swipe at Chadha for his remark of ‘Kyunki mai ghayal hoon isiliye ghatak hoon’ (I am wounded, therefore, I am dangerous), Mann dubbed it a dialogue, and said ‘Ghayal’ and ‘Ghatak’ are two movies.
Chadha on Sunday shared a video showing his interventions on key issues affecting the state.
To a question on arrests in the Chandigarh bomb blast incident, Mann said the Punjab Police has a track record of solving big cases within 24 hours.
He slammed the opposition parties for criticising him over the recent blast incident outside the Punjab BJP office in Chandigarh.
Replying to a question about shifting the entire police staff from a police station in Bathinda after a ‘sarpanch’ claimed inaction in drug-related matters, Mann said the cops have been shifted, and an inquiry into the matter is ongoing.
He said his government has a zero-tolerance policy against drugs.
On the power sector, Mann said it has undergone a structural turnaround under the AAP government, with the once loss-making department now recording profits even while providing free electricity to 90 per cent of households.
He highlighted that the government not only ensured zero electricity bills for the majority of families through 600 units of free power but also reversed the earlier trend of selling public assets by acquiring the 540 MW Govindwal thermal power plant and significantly improving its efficiency.
Highlighting achievements, Mann said, “Punjab met a peak power demand of 16,670 MW on June 5, 2025, surpassing the previous record of 16,058 MW on June 29, 2024.” On infrastructure and fuel supply, Mann said, “Transmission capacity has increased from 7,400/8,000 MW to 10,400/10,900 MW, enabling higher power import from the national grid.” He added, “Coal supply from Pachwara Coal Mine has resumed, supplying 70 lakh metric tonnes in 2024-25 and saving Rs 1,462 crore since October 2022.” He further said there is no coal shortage in any thermal plant, with Ropar having 41 days stock, Lehra Mohabbat 37 days and Goindwal Sahib 32 days.
He added that the 206-MW Shahpur Kandi Hydel Project is expected to begin generation by May 2027, with Rs 5,192.51 crore already spent till September 2025.
“The share of green energy will be increased from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in the next six years,” he added.
He said 2,720-MW solar power has been tied up at Rs 2.33-Rs 2.97 per unit, compared to Rs 15.20 per unit during previous regimes.
Announcing a new initiative, Mann said, “The government will soon launch a scheme to put high-tension wires passing through farmers’ fields underground, starting from my native village where 413 tube wells and 1,100 electric poles are spread across 2,000 acres.” PTI CHS KSS KSS
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