Showing his annoyance over slow disbursal of cheques to the farmers who suffered huge losses due to unseasonal rain, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked officials to speed up the distribution of cheques, otherwise, strict action would be taken against them.
He said despite no assistance from Union Government, the State has released Rs1,135.57 crore for distribution among distraught farmers for crop loss but till date only Rs602 crore has been distributed so far. “This laxity on the part of officials would not be tolerated. Such officials should be identified and action should be taken against them,” Yadav said in his communication. Acting on the directives of Chief Minister, State’s Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan held a meeting and questioned DMs why only 50 per cent of the compensation was disbursed till date.
“Such District Magistrates should be identified who have failed to expedite distribution of compensation money. Directives were issued earlier also for speedy disbursal of money but it seems that these officers have neglected the warning of Chief Minister,” Ranjan said. He said that when required money has been sent to the affected districts, there is no reason why help should not be extended to the affected farmers.
“The Government is ready to cut its expenditure to ensure that farmers get enough compensation. If the relief money reaches the farmer later it would be waste of time and money,” Chief Secretary said in a statement issued here on Tuesday. During a review meeting, the officials identified districts where compensation less than 50 per cent was distributed.
These districts include Mahoba, Moradabad, Amethi, Unnao, Rampur, Mathura, Bulandshahr, Ballia, Gorakhpur, Sambhal, Hathras and Shamli.
“If compensation is not distributed within next three days, strict action would be taken against the officers concerned. No one would be spared. District officers should ensure all the affected farmers get their dues within time,” Ranjan said. He informed that the next review meeting will be held on April 24 when he will enquire about relief status from DMs through video conference.
Uttar Pradesh Government has sent a memorandum to the Union Government claiming that 67 districts have been affected by rains and has sought an assistance of Rs 6,677.45 crore for the Union Government.