leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Ajay Singh on Sunday alleged that the State Government is misleading people in the name of distributing compensation to farmers whose crops were affected by hail and frost.
In a statement, Singh said the Government had promised to provide a compensation of Rs15,000 per hectare for loss of crops due to hail and frost.
However, no compensation was provided to farmers in Majhauli Patan assembly constituency in Jabalpur district.He claimed that a farmer, who suffered loss to crops in eight acre land, was provided compensation of Rs160 only.
Following this, more than 3,000 farmers, who were angry over the matter, returned their cheques totally amounting to Rs40 lakh to the Government.
He said that after the hailstorm hit the State the Chief Minister toured the State and assured the farmers all over the State that his Government would provide relief and adequate compensation would be provided to all those whose crops have suffered losses.
The Chief Minister announced that the compensation of Rs15, 000 per hectare would be provided to the hailstorm hit farmers but when the actual time of compensation distribution came the farmers were offered the compensation at the rate of just Rs160 per hectare, therefore the peasants refused to accept it, he added.
The senior Congress leader said that the Government is acting just opposite to theconcern it showed in the State assembly during the discussion over the issue of hailstorm.
Surveys were not conducted properly; the Government was warned that the compensation should not be distributed by seeing the influence of the person instead it should be done on the basis of loss suffered by the farmers.
But the Government did not take it seriously and in the end farmers are suffering due to the apathy of the BJP Government, he added in the statement.