Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), announced a new initiative aimed at supporting farmers in Punjab whose wheat crops were destroyed by adverse weather conditions affecting 1.25 lakh acres. During a rally in Budhlada as part of the 'Punjab Bachao' campaign, Badal stated that the program would provide affected farmers with wheat and both green and dry fodder. The specifics of this initiative will be finalized at a meeting of the party's district presidents in Chandigarh on April 8. Badal criticized Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for failing to provide compensation to farmers for last year's paddy crop destruction due to floods and for the recent crop damage caused by unseasonal rain and hailstorms. He also made several promises for the future, including a ₹10 lakh interest-free loan for youth, an increase in old age pensions to ₹3,100 per month, and a ₹1 lakh 'Shagun' allowance. Additionally, he pledged to establish a hospital equivalent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Mansa and to restart the expanded 'Atta Dal' scheme.