Haryana Government has sought relief from the Centre on several counts to compensate the farmers for the loss to their crops due to the recent unseasonal rain and hailstorms in the State. The State Government has also sought Rs300 crore from the Centre for building cow sanctuaries and gaushalas in the State
Chief Minister Manohar lal during his meeting with Union Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan and other senior officers in New Delhi on Friday demanded hike in the compensation amount, bonus on wheat, relief to those who suffered loss of up to 25 per cent and concession at the time of procurement for the difference in the quality of wheat crop.
Manohar lal said that the State Government had already demanded financial assistance of Rs500 crore from the Centre to compensate the farmers. It has also sought hike in compensation to be given in lieu of the damage to their crops by the Union Ministry of Agriculture. “Haryana Government has already fixed higher compensation but we would be able to provide maximum relief if a significant increase is made by the Centre”, he said adding that the Centre should also declare bonus to farmers.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister also pointed out that more than 18 lakh hectares of wheat and 50 lakh hectares of mustard crop suffered loss in the State in recent hailstorms. He recommended relief to those whose crop loss was up to 25 per cent. Also, the valuation of the loss to crops must be done in a scientific manner so that farmers do not face any difficulty in getting the compensation, said he.
The Chief Minister also demanded concession at the time of procurement for the difference in the quality of wheat crop due to the adverse impact of weather. Various alternatives to crop insurance were also discussed. Haryana Government also urged the Centre to implement the concept of certification for organic farming and reducing the interest rate on loans for horticultural crops.
Manohar lal also sought reduction in the interest rate on loans given to the farmers for horticulture on par with crop loans given at the rate of four per cent. The nationalised banks are charging interest rate of up to 12 per cent on horticulture loans, he pointed out. He added that the State Government felt that to begin with, at least 10 per cent of the crop should be grown on organic farming. Referring to the Gau-Sanrakshan and Gau-Sanvardhan Bill passed by Haryana Assembly, the Chief Minister sought Rs300 crore for building cow sanctuaries and gaushalas in the State.
Centre releases Rs42 crore to Haryana
Union Ministry of Rural Development has released Rs42 crore to Haryana for providing drinking water in the State. This was conveyed to Chief Minister Manohar lal when he met Union Rural Development Minister Birender Singh in New Delhi to seek financial assistance for the construction of drains, treatment plants and recycling of water in the villages.
He informed the Union Minister that a scheme had been prepared to develop ponds to provide clean drinking water for the cattle and for the construction of gaughats. A plan has also been prepared to save ponds in the villages. While drinking water facility has been expanded in the villages no arrangements have been made for the management of liquid waste which poses a major problem, he added.
He also demanded financial aid for developing model villages from the Union Minister. Earlier, Birender Singh hailed the decision of Haryana government to build gram sachivalaya (village secretariat) in every village of the state. The Chief Minister informed him that every village of Haryana would have own gram sachivalaya in the near future. In the initial phase, these would be set up in 1,000 villages.