Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday declared that the government will distribute two lakh quintals of wheat seed at no cost to farmers whose crops were destroyed across nearly five lakh acres during the recent floods.
He explained that cultivators in the state have faced devastating losses, and seeds worth about Rs 74 crore will be supplied free for the coming Rabi season. Mann praised the resilience and hard work of Punjab’s farmers, noting their crucial role in ensuring the nation’s food security. He described the initiative as a sincere attempt by the government to ease the suffering of those affected by the disaster.
According to Mann, the scale of destruction has been unlike anything Punjab has ever witnessed. Over 2,300 villages were submerged, more than 20 lakh people were impacted, and crops spanning five lakh acres were ruined. The floods also claimed 56 lives and left nearly seven lakh people homeless.
The Chief Minister added that the damage extended far beyond agriculture. More than 3,200 government schools and 19 colleges were reduced to ruins, around 1,400 health facilities were wrecked, while 8,500 kilometres of roads and 2,500 bridges were washed away. Early assessments place the losses at roughly Rs 13,800 crore, though the true figure may turn out to be even higher.
