The issue of compensation to drought-affectedfarmers rocked the Chhattisgarh Assembly today with the opposition Congress staging a walk-out over Revenue Minister Premprakash Pandey's reply.
During the question hour,Congress's Girwar Janghel raised the issue of compensation being paid to farmers in Rajnandgaon district.
He asked which tehsil/development block in the district had been declared as drought-hit, how many villages in Khairagarh district had been declared drought-hit and whether'anawari' (crop yield) survey had been conducted in these areas.
Minister Pandey informed that tehsils of Chhuikhadan, Khairgarh, Rajnandgaon, Ambagarh-Chowki, Mohla,Manpur, Dongargaon and Chhuria had been declared as drought-hit.
Janghelalleged that compensation was not paid to all thedrought-hitfarmers.
Senior Congress MLA Dhanendra Sahu said the Government had not published any survey report on crop loss, but was claiming to have paid compensation to thefarmers.
State Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel said earlier a district/ tehsil/ block or villages were considered as the unit for measuring crop loss but the BJP Government changed this and made individual farmerthe unit.
The minister said the state cabinet had made this amendment under revenue book circular for farmers' benefit.
Not satisfied with the reply, Congress legislators started shouting slogans, accusing the Government of ditching thefarmers and staged a walk-out.
