Chandigarh, March 31 (IANS) The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday gave nod for hiking the compensation due to unseasonal rains by 25 per cent per acre.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Council of Ministers at its meeting held here.
A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said keeping in view the loss incurred by the farmers due to rains, the Cabinet decided to enhance the relief amount from Rs 12,000 per acre to Rs 15,000 per acre for 76-100 per cent for loss of crops.
This measure will give a healing touch to the affected farmers who will be able to get a reasonable financial relief from the government. These relief rates will be applicable from March 1.
Keeping in view the larger public interest, the Cabinet also gave its consent to extend the exemption of 2.25 per cent stamp duty and fees to those registering their property or land by April 30.
Those opting for registration of land will now be exempted from one per cent additional stamp duty, one per cent PIDB fees and 0.25 per cent special fees.
It also gave approval for hiring 2,574 Kisan Mitras and 108 field supervisors in the Agriculture Department.
These Kisan Mitras and field supervisors will encourage the farmers to get out of the rut of wheat and paddy circle and cultivate less water guzzling crops like cotton and basmati.
This step will act as a catalyst to save groundwater by boosting crop diversification programme on one hand and providing employment to the youth of the state on the other.
The accused has been identified as Abhinav Prakash, a resident of Dwarka, working as a trainee ticketing agent of British Airways at DLF Qutub Plaza, Gurugram, for the last seven months. He reportedly made the hoax call to delay the departure of his friends' 'girlfriends' who were on board the said flight.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that India has shown growth and resilience amid global headwinds, as he urged the public and private sectors to seize opportunities arising as a result of emerging global environment, and to think out of the box. Modi said this during his interaction with economists prior to the forthcoming Union Budget to be presented on February 1.
In the latest twist in the Air India urination incident, Shankar Mishra, accused of relieving himself on an elderly woman co-passenger while in a drunken state, on Friday sought to recant from any involvement in the episode and brazenly accused the victim of soiling her own seat. However, his attempt at evading any responsibility may not succeed as it leaves many questions unanswered.
The bus, carrying around 45 passengers, reportedly crashed headlong into the truck coming from the opposite direction and then overturned, resulting in the huge tragedy, said the police. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed shock and grief over the tragedy and announced a compensation of Rs.5-lakhs to the kin of all the deceased besides free medical treatment for all the injured victims.
While scanning the CCTV camera, the police found Chagan carrying the little girl. Both the families live on a footpath. On Wednesday, police picked up the accused and inquired about the girl. The body was recovered on Wednesday and sent for post-mortem. The accused has been detained and will be arrested once his corona report is negative.
The unknown caller first called shortly after 4 p.m. to warn that he had planted a 'time-bomb' in the school premises and abruptly disconnected. A few minutes later, he again called up and repeated the threat even as the panicked school authorities approached the police.
