Chandigarh, March 16: Haryana Chief Minister, Sh.  Manohar Lal while speaking in the House during the ongoing Budget Session urged the  MLAs to motivate farmers to register for  Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, as under this scheme,  compensation ranging from Rs 18,000 to Rs 35,000 is being given to them for insured crops.

The Chief Minister while speaking during the discussion on the Calling Attention Motion brought by Kiran Choudhry, Abhay Chautala and other MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha today on the damage caused to Rabi crops due to the recent unseasonal rains and hailstorms said that compensation of Rs 12,000 per acre was given for the loss of damaged crops in the absence of insurance scheme. 

However, our government has increased this amount to Rs 15,000 per acre from this year.  After the crop insurance, the amount of compensation per acre given to the farmers is high, therefore all the MLAs should motivate farmers for taking up the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, added Sh. Manohar Lal. 

The Chief Minister also informed that under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, farmer has to pay 2 percent and 5 percent premium according to the crops, which amounts to Rs 500 to Rs 700 only.  The balance amount of premium is borne by the Central and State Governments.

He said that the soil from the fields is lifted for the brick kiln or other uses and many times the farmer himself lifts the soil from his field for commercial purposes like construction of road, canal or any other project where the soil is required.   Later their ground-level goes  2 to 3 feet down as compared to other nearby fields and this becomes the major cause of waterlogging.  

The Chief Minister appealed to the members to motivate farmers to use such waterlogged fields for fisheries.

The Chief Minister while clarifying the objections raised by Sh. Abhay Singh Chautala on a person wearing a BJP muffler around his neck who was sitting in the visitor's gallery said that there is no such rule in the rule book of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha for this.  

 Although there is a rule for members not to wear such party symbols in the Parliamentary Procedure Rule Book of Lok Sabha, there is no such rule for the visitor's gallery. 

Only verbal instructions are given to the members and the security personnel that they should take special care that the person coming to see the proceedings of the House does not come wearing such party symbols. 

The Chief Minister urged the Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Sh.Gian Chand Gupta, to make provision  in the rules related to this in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Rule Book.