President Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee and Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja has demanded conduct of special assessment exercise of losses caused to crops due to rains and hailstorms, and extend compensation to farmers in the state within 20 days.
Selja said that more than 80 percent of wheat, mustard, vegetables and other crops have been damaged due to rain that took place on Saturday.
She said that the farmers have been suffering ever since the BJP Government has come into power at Centre and the State. During the last five years, sometimes GST is imposed on agricultural implements and sometimes their crops are not procured besides sometimes their crops are procured on very less price. Recently, a big paddy scam has also taken place in the state and in order to cover this scam, the protesting farmers were lathi-charged, she alleged.
The Congress leader said that farmers were already suffering due to anti-people policies of the Government and now, this natural disaster has added to their wounds. To provide relief to farmers, it is the need of hour to take effective steps with immediate effect, she said.
Selja said that the government should get conducted special girdawari and provide compensation to farmers within 20 days without leaving the farmers at the disposal of insurance companies under Fasal Bima Yojana because some farmers had not opted for this scheme and some farmers have still not received compensation of last year’s damage caused to crops.
She added now, the Central government will bear only 25 percent of the premium amount under Fasal Bima Yojana instead of 50 percent which clearly shows that anti-farmer ideology of this government.
The statistics shows that in last three years, the insurance companies charged premium to the tune of Rs 77,801 crore and earned profit of Rs 19,202 crore. This scheme is only for cheating the farmers and providing benefit to insurance companies, she added.