-Dr. Balbir Singh to Compensate Affected Kaidupur Farmers from His Salary
Patiala, 29 April:
Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Balbir Singh said that the state government will bear the full cost of medical treatment for those injured in recent wheat residue fire incidents. This includes Dayal Singh, a laborer from Ajnauda Khurd village, and two farmers from Mor Mandi and Faridkot, all of whom are currently receiving treatment at PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Dr. Balbir Singh visited Kaidupur village, where a fire broke out on April 26, damaging approximately 16 acres of wheat residue. SDM Nabha, Dr. Ismat Vijay Singh, also accompanied him during the inspection.
Expressing deep concern over the losses suffered by farmers, Dr. Balbir Singh committed to personally compensating the affected farmers of Kaidupur for their fodder loss from his own salary. He assured them that the district administration would extend full support to all impacted farmers and agricultural laborers.
Highlighting the swift response of emergency services, Dr. Balbir Singh noted that the prompt arrival of fire brigade teams and the efforts of local residents helped avert a greater tragedy. Despite these efforts, Dayal Singh sustained burn injuries while attempting to extinguish the fire. The Minister met with Dayal Singh and his family at PGIMER and conveyed the government’s commitment to providing all possible assistance.
Dr. Balbir Singh informed that three individuals from Punjab are currently undergoing treatment for burn injuries at PGIMER, and their medical expenses will be fully covered by the state government. He also emphasized that fire incidents are more common during the dry wheat harvesting season and suggested that planting green crops like mustard along field boundaries could help reduce the risk of fire spread.
In an interaction with media personnel, the Minister shared that upon learning about the fire in Kaidupur, although he was on a visit to a border area, he immediately requested Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond to visit the site. Mr. Sond promptly reached the village and assessed the situation firsthand.
Also present on the occasion were the Health Minister’s PA Jai Shankar, Balwinder Saini, Suresh Rai, Jaspal Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Pappu Singh (sarpanch of Kaidupur), Bhim Singh, Amandeep Singh, Gurcharan Singh, and other officials.
