Rana Sodhi demands Rs 50,000 per acre compensation for fire-affected farmers
Ferozepur, April 20, 2025: Senior BJP leader and former Punjab Cabinet Minister, Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, has strongly urged the Punjab government to announce immediate compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for farmers whose crops have been destroyed by sudden fire incidents in the state.
Sodhi emphasized that the government must conduct a special Girdawari (crop damage assessment) without delay to ensure farmers are duly compensated for their losses. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, he said that several hundred acres of standing wheat crop have been reduced to ashes due to sudden fire outbreaks in villages like Kohr Singh Wala, Mishri Wala, and Dilaram in the Guru Har Sahai constituency of Ferozepur.
Sodhi expressed deep concern over the increasing number of such incidents in Punjab during the ongoing wheat harvesting season. According to media reports, more than 70 cases of crop fires have been reported across the state in the past two weeks, leaving countless farmers devastated.
“The farmer treats his crop like his own child. Unfortunately, when the time comes to harvest the fruits of his hard work, unforeseen natural calamities like these fires destroy everything,” Sodhi said, adding that he speaks not just as a leader but as a farmer who personally understands the pain of such loss.
He also informed that the BJP will soon submit a formal memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner demanding swift action. Urging the government to act with compassion and urgency, Sodhi said, “This is not the time for delays. The government must step forward immediately to support the affected farmers.”