BHUBANESWAR: Even as one more farmer from Balasore committed suicide on Sunday, the State Government announced that compensation will be given to farmers within seven days of receiving reports from the collectors on crop loss due to unseasonal rains triggered by low pressure.
Meanwhile, government officials have started visiting different areas of the State which received rains to assess the crop damage. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty also visited different areas of Puri district to assess the extent of the damage due to rains which lashed 15 districts of the State for three days from November 14.
Official sources said report on the crop loss will be assessed after evaluation made by the tehsildars and Block Development Officers (BDOs). Officials have been asked to strictly adhere to the directions of the Government for assessment of crop damage.
Stating that the Government has initiated several steps for assistance of farmers who suffered crop damage because of pest attack and the unseasonal rains, Agriculture minister Damodar Rout said advance rabi crop loan of `60 crore has already been disbursed among the farmers to take up cultivation. He also assured that there will be no delay in disbursement of assistance after receiving field reports on crop loss. The Government had asked the collectors on Saturday to send report on crop loss by November 25. The collectors were asked to furnish the list of affected villagers sustaining crop loss of 33 per cent and above due to unseasonal rains.
Farmers who sustained crop loss of 33 per cent and above due to the calamity are eligible to get agricultural input subsidy as per the norms of the State Disaster Response Fund, Special Relief Commissioner BP Sethi said in a letter to collectors on Saturday.
Paddy cultivation in a number of districts in the coastal region have been damaged due to the unseasonal rains.