Showing his annoyance over slow disbursal of cheque to the farmers who lost their crop in unseasonal rains Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked officials to speed up distribution otherwise action would be taken against them.
He said despite no assistance from Union Government the state has released Rs 1135.57 crore for distribution among distraught farmers for crop loss but till date only Rs 602 crore has been distributed so far. “This is laxity on the part of officials which cannot 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 about speedy disbursal but it seems that these officers have neglected the warning of even Chief Minister,” Ranjan said.
He said 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 are: Mahoba, Moradabad, Amethi, Unnao, Rampur, Mathura, Bulandshahr, Ballia, Gorakhpur, Sambhal, Hathras and Shamli.
“If compensation is not distributed within next three days action would be taken against the concerned officer. No one would be spared. District officers should ensure all the affected farmers get their dues within time,” Ranjan said. He said that 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 India Government claiming that 67 districts have been affected by rains and has sought an assistance of Rs 6677.45 crore for the Union Government.