Today, Punjab’s farmer is passing through a difficult phase, crushed between the twin pressures of nature’s fury and administrative apathy. The month of April, once a symbol of joy and Vaisakhi celebrations for farmers, has now become a time of anxiety and tears. Unseasonal rains and heavy hailstorms have flattened the golden wheat crop across large parts of Punjab.
At such a time, a sharp and logical question arises:
If satellites in the sky can detect even a spark of stubble burning in a farmer’s field, why can’t they see the destroyed crops lying across those same fields?
Technology for Punishment, But Not for Relief
In recent years, authorities have acted strictly on stubble burning. Using satellite images from organizations like NASA, cases are filed against farmers, heavy fines are imposed, and “red entries” are marked in their land records. Technology works swiftly when it comes to penalizing farmers.
But today, when unseasonal rains have destroyed a year’s hard work, where is that same technology?
Why are satellite images not being used to immediately assess crop damage?
Why are farmers still forced to go through the long, often corrupt process of girdawari (manual crop assessment)?
These questions directly raise doubts about the intent of governance.
Nature’s Blow and Market Failures
Across Punjab, farmers are standing in their fields, watching their destroyed crops with tears in their eyes. Wheat stalks that promised a rich harvest just days ago now lie broken on the ground due to hailstorms. Whatever little crop has survived is struggling in the mandis (grain markets).
The condition of mandis is equally worrying:
* Lack of tarpaulins and sheds to protect crops from rain
* Delays in procurement
* Fear of rejection due to high moisture content
Farmers now face a new anxiety: moisture levels. Procurement agencies may use this as an excuse to delay or reject purchases, forcing farmers to depend on middlemen and traders.
Compensation Politics vs Ground Reality
Government responses often come in the form of tweets and announcements of “special girdawari.” But past experience tells a different story.
During last year’s floods, many affected farmers are still waiting for compensation. If previous losses remain unpaid, expecting timely relief now seems unrealistic.
The compensation process is:
* Slow
* Bureaucratic
* Often inadequate
In many cases, farmers receive compensation of just a few hundred rupees, which only adds insult to injury.
What Farmers Need Now
Farmers are tired of empty promises. If the government truly stands with them, it must act decisively:
* Provide immediate interim relief of ₹50,000 per acre to affected farmers
* Use satellite technology for digital crop damage assessment
* Relax moisture norms for procurement of rain-affected crops
* Ensure proper arrangements like tarpaulins in mandis
* Clear pending compensation from last year’s disasters before announcing new schemes
A Farmer Surviving on Faith Alone
It would not be wrong to say that Punjab’s farmer today is surviving largely on faith. During elections, politicians visit fields and take photographs, but when crops are destroyed, those same leaders remain confined to air-conditioned offices, offering only words of sympathy.
The government must understand that if the country’s “annadata” (food provider) is destroyed, the entire economic structure of the state will collapse.
Technology should not be used only to catch farmers’ mistakes. It must also be used to recognize their helplessness and losses.
Conclusion
Farmers do not need misleading assurances anymore. They need their rightful compensation—quickly and fairly.
If satellites can see smoke, they should also see suffering.
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