Chandigarh, October 31, 2025 — A direct field-outreach model adopted by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is changing how farmers’ complaints are handled, with the administration reporting shorter response times and faster financial transactions in procurement and compensation.
Since the start of the “Our CM – In Our Fields” campaign ten months ago, the Chief Minister has covered all 23 districts, holding meetings in farms and villages. More than 3,200 farmers have participated in these sessions, which the government describes as a mechanism for “on-the-spot governance.” Officials said most issues raised are being addressed within two days.
During the ongoing Rabi procurement season, Punjab has set a wheat procurement target of 142 lakh metric tonnes across 4,500 centres. The state maintains the Minimum Support Price at ₹2,275 per quintal, with payments made via Direct Benefit Transfer within 24 to 36 hours. So far, ₹11,400 crore has been credited to 7.8 lakh farmers, according to procurement data.
Water scarcity has been identified as a critical concern. A ₹3,200-crore Water Conservation and Irrigation Modernization Package includes canal restoration and incentives for micro-irrigation. About 28,500 farmers have installed drip and sprinkler systems, leading to estimated water savings of 35–45 percent, officials said.
In the power sector, the Light to Every Field campaign is working to improve electricity access for farmers, who now reportedly receive 10–11 hours of daytime supply. With ₹1,650 crore invested in infrastructure, the government has installed 4,200 transformers and launched the Bijli app to report outages and track complaint resolution.
Equipment support remains another area of focus. Under the New Agricultural Equipment Scheme, 46,000 farmers have received ₹820 crore in subsidies, while 8,500 stubble-management machines have been distributed to curb residue burning. Officials estimate stubble fires have dropped by nearly 68 percent since last season.
Crop insurance payouts totalling ₹285 crore were made to 58,000 farmers within ten days this year, and AI-based drone assessments have been deployed to speed up damage evaluation. Meanwhile, under the Punjab Farmer Prosperity Scheme, over 3 lakh farmers have received new Kisan Credit Cards, and ₹2,100 crore of smallholder debt has been waived.
Around 4.2 lakh farmers are now using the Punjab Kisan Portal and Kisan Suvidha App for market rates, soil data, and subsidy information. The helpline has received 5.2 lakh calls, with officials reporting that 94 percent of queries were closed.
Government data show that 184 Integrated Farmer Service Centres are operational at the district level. During his village visits, Mann often directs field officers to take immediate action, and progress reports are sought within 48 hours.
