BHUBANESWAR : The State Government on Thursday announced 100 per cent remission of cess on land revenue and basic water rate for farmers who suffered crop loss of 33 per cent or more mostly in Western Odisha districts. Land revenue and water rate remission are part of the package announced by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the farmers affected by drought at the Secretariat here.
The State Government had notified on November 1 that 5,633 villages of 66 blocks and 16 urban local bodies (ULBs) of nine districts - Bargarh, Balangir, Deogarh, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Sambalpur and Sundargarh - have suffered crop loss of 33 per cent and more due to moisture stress.
Agriculture input subsidy will be provided to affected small and marginal farmers at the rate of `6,800 per hectare (ha) in rain-fed/non-irrigated areas, `13,500 per ha in areas under assured irrigation and `18,000 per ha for all types of perennial crops.The input subsidy will be provided to farmers other than small and marginal at the same rates subject to a ceiling of two ha per farmers. However, input subsidy to any affected farmer will not be less than `2000 for perennial crops and `1000 for other crops.
Tuition and examination fees in the Government and aided schools and colleges in the affected areas will be waived. The farmers affected by drought during kharif season will be provided fresh finance for rabi season which has commenced from October 1.
Expeditious steps will be taken to organise joint liability groups by covering maximum number of share croppers/oral lessees to provide them credit during the current rabi season in the drought affected areas.
Besides, steps will be taken to conduct crop cutting experiments to settle the claims of the affected insured farmers under crop insurance scheme, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
Under the package, short term kharif loans advanced in the affected areas during kharif season will be converted into medium term (conversion) loan. Due date of the kharif short term loans will be extended upto September 30, 2019 to facilitate conversion of such loans into medium term loans. The State Government will request the Centre to provide interest incentive of three per cent for medium term (conversion) loans at par with crop loans for making prompt payment to the farmers.
Immediate steps will be taken to arrange and distribute quality seeds for alternate cropping in rabi season. The Government announced to provide one lakh pulse minikits, 30,000 oilseed minikits and 20,000 vegetable minikits to affected farmers for rabi crop. The package includes supply of 3,000 pump sets with 50 per cent subsidy limited to a maximum of `15,000.
Besides, 1,000 solar pump sets will be made available to the affected farmers at 90 per cent subsidy limited to `54,000 per set under the Saura Jalanidhi scheme. Besides, 3000 sprayers will be made available to the affected farmers at 50 per cent subsidy limited to maximum of `3800 for battery operated ones and `600 for hand operated ones.As many as 20,000 landless, marginal and small farmers in the affected panchayats will provided livelihood support in terms of backyard poultry. Intensive fodder cultivation will be taken up in these panchayats through distribution of fodder kits.
Farm relief