Vijayawada: With heavy rains lashing several districts, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday directed officials to start the enumeration of loss or damage to crops so as to provide immediate relief to the affected farmers and others.
At a review meeting the CM held on the impact of the unseasonal rains on crops and farmlands, CMO officials submitted a preliminary report about the loss of crops. Jagan Reddy asked the officials to immediately start a detailed enumeration of crop damage. Collectors should complete the enumeration within a week, he said.
Adequate precautions should be taken to prevent any mishap due to the heavy rains, the CM said and said the collectors should assess the weather situation from time to time and remain vigilant.
Minister for Information, BC Welfare and Cinematography, SV Krishna said the government would support the affected farmers in all possible ways. He briefed the media on the review meet and said that according to the preliminary estimates given by the officials, crops were damaged in 25 mandals of five districts.
In 15 mandals of Nandyal district, maize, paddy, millet and chilli crops have been damaged. Maize was damaged in five mandals of NTR district, one mandal in Kurnool district and three mandals in Parvathipuram Manyam district. Millet and cotton were damaged in one mandal in Prakasam district, the minister said.
He said that during the tenure of the previous government, ie from 2014 to 2019, there were drought conditions in the state and the farmers faced difficulties. “After Jagan Reddy took charge, the farmers are happy in every way. But, they faced some trouble due to untimely rainfall at a time when they expected to have the harvest in a day or two,” he said.
The minister said the government was providing input subsidy in the same crop season itself if the crops are damaged. “Crop insurance is being provided by the government by paying the premium amount related to the insurance as well as providing input subsidy to the farmers whose crops have been damaged. The Rythu Bharosa Kendras have been set up to provide adequate support to the farmers from the time they raise the crops to the time they sell them,” he added.
