Ludhiana/Chandigarh, Oct. 15 -- Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday announced that the Centre has released compensation for 36,703 houses damaged in the recent floods in Punjab. Addressing an event during the inauguration of the newly constructed administrative building at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Institute of Maize Research (IIMR) here, Chouhan said, "The Centre stands firmly with the people of Punjab in their time of need." The agriculture minister later interacted with maize stakeholders, farmers, beneficiaries of rural development schemes, and members of women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Ludhiana. Chouhan said each affected household has been provided Rs.1.2 lakh for repairing damaged houses and an additional Rs.40,000 for constructing toilets, besides clearing labour expenses. Later at a press conference in Mohali, Chouhan said that for the past few days, officials at the Centre kept asking the Punjab government to submit estimates on the houses damaged by floods, so that proper compensation could be provided under PM Awaas Yojna at the earliest. "Last night at around 9 pm, my office got a letter from Punjab government officials giving data of over 36,000 houses damaged in the floods. Today morning, I have handed over the letter sanctioning the construction of these houses to Punjab agricultural minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, who was accompanying me during a function in Ludhiana," Chouhan said. The Union minister added that the Centre has released Rs.74 crore for free wheat seeds and Rs.3.24 crore for mustard seeds for Punjab farmers. "In addition, Rs.222 crore has been issued in advance under the PM Kisan Nidhi Yojana to provide immediate relief to flood-affected farmers. Assistance under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) will also be provided to support farmers affected in the horticulture sector," he said. Highlighting the Centre's commitment to supporting Punjab's agriculture sector, Chouhan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already announced a Rs.1,600-crore relief package for the state. "According to the federal structure, the Centre will release additional funds once the state government submits its memorandum," he said. During his address, Chouhan urged chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to join the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, pointing out that Punjab's decision to opt out of the crop insurance scheme had deprived its farmers of critical protection. "This scheme safeguards farmers from losses due to natural calamities. I appeal to the state government to reconsider its stand and ensure Punjab's farmers are not left vulnerable," he said. While addressing the event, Chouhan said that after wheat and rice, maize is the third most important crop in our country. Beyond being a food crop, it has multiple industrial uses. Maize can also serve as a sustainable alternative to paddy, conserving water while yielding better returns for farmers. Minister of state for agriculture and farmers' welfare Bhagirath Choudhary, minister of state for railways and food processing industries Ravneet Singh Bittu, and Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian were also present during events in Ludhiana. Chouhan also took a jibe at Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and said the AAP was playing 'politics' over floods. Chouhan, referring to AAP workers protesting during his Ludhiana visit, said he would urge Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann not to stoop so low as to play politics over the visits of central ministers. "When I visited Punjab to inspect the damage caused by floods, Mann Sa'ab said I was on a flood tourism. Today, they touched another low when, during a visit to a village in Ludhiana, the AAP workers were holding flags against me. Let me tell you, such optics won't stop me from visiting Punjab and the farmers. And in the future as well, I will keep coming to this state and announce whatever the people of Punjab need," Chouhan added....