MP: Rajnath vows compensation to rain-hit farmers

Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday assured adequate monetary compensation for all the farmers across India who had suffered crop loss in the recent spell of torrential rain and hailstorms.

Rainfall had lashed many parts of the sub-continent in the first week of March this year, affecting seasonal rabi crops. “We have invited crop loss statistics from all the states. Taking the extent of losses into account, relief packages will be announced soon,” Singh said.

The home minister, who was accompanied by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, conducted an aerial survey to gauge the extent of crop loss in Indore, Ujjain, Dewas, Rajgarh, Sehore, Guna and Gwalior districts of western MP on Sunday afternoon.

Apart from these areas, rabi crops in Raisen, Sagar, Khargone, Tikamgarh, Dhar, Neemuch, Jhabua, Mandsaur, Rewa, Sidhi, Satna and Shahdol districts were also affected due to the unforeseen weather conditions. Wheat, gram and oil seed crops were widely affected in the region, with only 10 per cent of the crops being harvested so far. Agriculture scientists say crops that are still standing have also been affected because the size of the grains has shrunk.

According to media reports, six distressed farmers in western Madhya Pradesh region have ended their lives till now.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) revealed that Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi and Uttarakhand — besides a few districts in Sikkim, UP, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra — received high intense rainfall of over 50 mm in the first week of March.

In other states, the quantum of rainfall was less than 50mm.