The farmers who have gone through a bad phase due to untimely rain and hailstorms in last three months are seeking more relief from state governments. In order to address their grievances, state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra have sought a total of over Rs 10,100 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund. Though state governments have been advised to utilize money available in State Disaster Response Fund.
According to Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh, Uttar Pradesh has demanded a sum of Rs 744.48 crore, Rajasthan Rs 8,252 crore and Haryana Rs 1,135.91 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund.
While both Central and Delhi governments have taken measures such as crop insurance policy and compensation to provide relief to rain-hit farmers in North India, the measures do not seem to be sufficient to cover up for the loss and damage of the key rabi crops including mustard, wheat and gram.
Narendra Modi-led government also announced a 50% increase in compensation to farmers for crop damage caused by untimely rainfall and hailstorms. Also, the eligibility criterion for this was lowered from loss of 50% of the potential crop to 33 per cent.
The steps have been taken and relief funds have been asked to increase after a total number of cases of farmers’ suicides and deaths crossed a mark of 100 in states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
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