news details |
|
|
| Demand for compensation on rise in India | | | Gareeb Dass
Jammu | June 10
When it rains in India, there are floods. When it does not rain, states are hit by drought. If it does not snow in the mountain regions in the country the power and water supply gets affected. If it snows heavily it causes massive damage to buildings, roads, and to orchards and causes breakdown in the power supply lines. With this emerges the demand for compensation. Those whose houses have been damaged by floods demand compensation. Farmers demand compensation when their agricultural produce is washed away in floods or in some areas early snow and sleet damage their crops. Those whose crops and orchards have been affected by severe drought ask for compensation not from the rain gods but from the Governments. If people affected by floods and drought demand compensation they are not to be blamed because the successive Governments in the states and the centre have failed to take in hand suitable measures for reducing, at least, the size of devastation. This could have been done had the Government prepared a master plan for the flood prone, drought prone and snow prone belts in the country.
No body can deny that the Government has not been spending money on flood and drought control programmes in various parts of the country. Several thousand crores are spent annually on these schemes but neither floods nor drought have stopped visiting the Indian states. This way those affected by these natural calamities have to bank on compensation. In variably one has witnessed people demanding compensation whenever and wherever their fruits or crops get damaged by pests notwithstanding the fact that each state has a pest control department and at least one Agricultural and horticultural university. Research projects are formulated in these institutions, funds are made available for the implementation of those projects but the results are not as favourable as one could have expected.
Rise of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and in other states in the country has added new dimensions to the cry for compensation. Those civilians who get killed or whose property is damaged in the crossfire between the security forces and the militants their relatives demand compensation. In order to boost the morale of the security forces, including the troops, enaged in counter insurgency operations, are paid exgratia relief in favour of those killed in action. In Jammu and Kashmir a police personnel getting killed in action by militants their kins receive about Rs.five lakhs and in the Army the exgratia amount is Rs.seven lakhs.The Government of India had to spend a fortune on compensating the losses suffered by those connected with tourism after the tourist industry in the state was hit hard by militancy related violence, Transporters, hoteliers and houseboat owners were seen in the forefront of those demanding compensation. Farmers whose land had been occupied for either raising the barbed wire fence on the border or for laying mines demanded compensation during the last eight years they have received several crores of rupees as compensation for their losses.
Kins of those getting either killed or wounded in road mishaps seek compensation in the garb of relief. Those whose houses get damaged in fire demand compensation. The list is endless. But funds are limited. What to do then? It is better for the Government to introduce insurance cover for the entire population against natural calamities, against pest attack, against terrorist attacks. If the entire country cannot be covered under insurance schemes let the plan be introduced in terrorist affected areas and those which are prone to floods, snow and drought. If such an insurance is introduced let people, vulnerable to floods and drought or militancy related violence, pay a nominal premium for it and the remaining amount be paid by the Government. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
