Celluloid scion, a number of bureaucrats and influential people have figured on the list of "helpless" farmers who lost their crops to unseasonal rains and hailstorms earlier this year.
Prominent among them is Jaya Bachchan, Bollywood actress and wife of actor Amitabh Bachchan, who owns five acres in a village named Bisankhedi in the proximity of Bhopal.
"All those farmers who own land and lost crops to hailstorms will get compensation," a senior official in the district collectorate said, adding, "She (Jaya Bachchan) will get a compensation of Rs 14,000 against the crop losses."
Many bureaucrats, including a former chief secretary, and a number of senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers have also figured on the list. They have lands in Chandanpura, Mindori, Sewaniagaud, Prempura, Mendora and Bisankhedi village. All these villages are in Bhopal district.
State farmers had lost crops in 27,000 villages, after which the government revised its wheat production estimates downwards from 19 million tonnes to 17 million tonnes.
The government will start distributing compensation from May 16 in the bracket of Rs 3,500-50,000. A minister, Indrajeet Patel, has also figured in and will be compensated with Rs 50,000.
He was a candidate in ongoing Lok Sabha elections from Sidhi constituency. An ex-district collector was also among the farmers who will get compensation.
