CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Cabinet on Monday approved a comprehensive relief package for flood-hit areas and unveiled a farmer-centric sand policy, after a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann via video conference from the hospital, officials said.
Under the new policy titled “Jisda Khet, Ohdi Rait” (the landowner owns the sand), farmers will be permitted to remove and sell sand deposited on their own fields in the recent floods. The government said operational guidelines will follow, with compliance to environmental, mining and transport laws. District administrations have been asked to facilitate movement permissions to speed up field restoration ahead of the next sowing cycle.
For crop losses, the Cabinet approved ₹20, 000 per acre as compensation to affected farmers. District teams will carry out rapid surveys (girdawari) and transfer relief directly to verified beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
Families that suffered fatalities in the floods will receive ₹4 lakh ex-gratia per deceased. Deputy Commissioners have been directed to expedite verification and disbursal.
The government will also survey fully and partially damaged houses and extend financial assistance as per norms. Help desks will be set up at the district and block levels to guide affected households on documentation and claims.
In institutional relief, the Cabinet granted a six-month extension on repayment of cooperative society loans taken by farmers, with no interest charged during the extended period. Modalities will be notified by the Cooperative Department in consultation with primary societies.
To address losses in animal husbandry, the state will compensate for cattle head loss attributable to the floods. Joint teams of the Revenue and Animal Husbandry departments will verify claims. Alongside, a mass vaccination and deworming drive will be rolled out in vulnerable pockets to prevent post-flood livestock diseases. Mobile veterinary teams will be deployed in high-risk clusters.
Officials said the measures are aimed at providing immediate liquidity to rural households, restoring cultivable land, and mitigating secondary risks such as disease outbreaks among livestock. Detailed standard operating procedures and timelines are expected to be issued this week, with progress to be monitored at the district level.