Central team to survey damage to crops in Haryana due to rains

With the state government saying that wheat crop has likely taken a hit due to recent spell of heavy rains and hailstorm, a team from the Centre will soon visit to survey and assess the damage, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today.
In order to assess the damage caused to the crops, Khattar said that he wrote a letter to the Union Agriculture Minister, Radha Mohan Singh and urged him to depute a central team to assess the loss.
He also requested the Central Government to immediately provide help to ensure speedy disbursal of relief to the affected farmers.

Khattar said that due to unseasonal heavy rains and hailstorm from March 1 to 3 and on March 7 and 8 in the state, Rabi crops have suffered heavy loss.
The Chief Minister was replying to Calling Attention Notice in the ongoing budget session of Haryana assembly about compensation to farmers for the loss of damaged crops due to heavy rain and hail storm in the state.
Haryana Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu said the unseasonal heavy rain and hailstorm are likely to affect the quality and quantity of wheat yield in Haryana.

Opposition Congress staged a brief walkout from the House after they claimed the state government had not given an assurance regarding hiking compensation for the affected farmers and for their alleged "anti-farmer" attitude.

Khattar also informed the House that when he was on his way back from Faridabad to Chandigarh on March 3, he witnessed the heavy damage of crops and on the same day directed to conduct 'special girdawari' (revenue survey).
He said that not only the revenue department of the state government, but all connected agencies and departments had been pressed into service to complete the 'special girdawari' at the earliest and reports from various affected areas were still pouring in.
After the ruling BJP benches took potshots at the Congress for allegedly issuing meagre cheque amount of Rs 3 and Rs 5 to farmers for crop damage when they were in power in the State, Khattar today announced in the House that the minimum compensation cheque would be Rs 500 instead of earlier Rs 250.

Khattar also informed the House that the Central Government gives compensation at the rate of Rs 3,400 per acre whereas the State Government gives compensation at the rate of Rs 10,000 per acre.
The Congress wanted that the farmers be given a compensation of atleast Rs 20,000 per acre for crop damage due to heavy rains while main opposition Indian National Lok Dal demanded that atleast Rs 25,000 per acre be paid.