Describing the damages to crops due to rain and hailstorm a ‘national calamity’, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced a slew of relief measures for affected farmers in the State.
“A total of 9,800 villages spread across 49 out of the total 51 districts in the State have been affected by rains and hailstorm which is like a national calamity,” the Chief Minister told reporters after holding an emergency meeting with top officials to review the situation.
Without waiting for Central assistance for which the State Government will submit a memorandum shortly, Chouhan said that his Government has decided to keep aside nearly Rs 2,000 crore by curtailing demands of other departments in the vote on account to be passed during the coming Assembly session.
“We have also set up a committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary and Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), MM Upadhyaya to monitor the situation by taking feedback from the districts on the issue of damage to crops,” Chouhan said. The Chief Minister said that he has also directed Commissioners and Collectors to immediately conduct surveys of the damaged crops and start distributing compensation.
“For any laxity in the survey, district collectors would be held directly responsible,” Chouhan warned. The Government has also decided to treat 50 per cent or more damage as 100 percent and directed the officials to distribute compensations accordingly. The Government also decided to provide enhanced compensation for damage to fruit-bearing trees, flowers, vegetables.
The Chief Minister said that after assessing the exact damage, the government would submit a memorandum to the Centre for adequate assistance to the affected farmers and urged the two Union Ministers - Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia – to rise above politics and join hands with the State Government in this hour of crisis in the interest of farmers. On Sunday Chouhan visited village Ther in Gwalior district, Babhed in Shivpuri district, Myapur Gagraua in Ashok Nagar and Udgaon in Datia districts, inspected affected fields and held discussions with farmers. Consoling farmers, he assured that the State Government stands by them in their hour of crisis. Public Health Minister Narottam Mishra and Industries Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia accompanied the Chief Minister.