The Congress on Friday published a whitepaper on drought situation and subsequent farmer suicides and claimed that a total of 111 peasants have so far committed suicide in the State due to crop loss and loan burden.
“We brought out a whitepaper on the plights of farmers affected by drought after our repeated requests to the State Government for publishing the same failed. A total of 2214 gram panchayats and 21 urban bodies under 139 blocks in 21 districts have been affected by drought and 111 farmers have ended their life under pressure of loan burden and gloomy future,” PCC president Prasad Harichandan said while releasing the whitepaper here.
Reiterating that the State Government had completely failed to tackle the drought situation, Prasad said, “The State Government has provided only `436 cooperative loans against it target of Rs5,500 crore for the this year’s Kharif season. Similarly, it has given only 10,650 subsidised pump sets against the target of 40,000 pump sets. Besides, irrigation facilities have remained very dismal in the affected districts.”
He said the Government still remained callous over the burning issue. “The Government announced a Rs1,000-crore special package for farmers a month back. By now, it has only sanctioned Rs113.21 crore under the SDRF and NDRF,” Harichanda said.
Coming down heavily on the BJD’s So hela Chasi Samavesh, Harichanda said had the CM went along the road, he could have seen the real drought picture on roadsides. “The Chief Minister flown to Bargarh and addressed a gathering. But he has not met family of a single deceased farmer. If the amount of money spent on the Sohela Samavesh would have been given to deceased farmers’ families, they would have certainly been benefited,” he pointed out.
He slammed the CM for announcing `100 bonus for quintal of paddy over the minimum support price. “While all paddy crops have been damaged due to drought, from where farmers would bring paddy for saleIJ The CM’s announcement is meant to hoodwink gullible farmers only,” he said.
Harichandan demanded the Government give firm loans at minus 10 per cent recovery rate and waive all loans and taxes of farmers in the affected districts.