Odisha Government Classifies Unseasonal Rain as Natural Disaster
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Bhubaneswar, Jan 3 (NationPress) In light of substantial crop destruction due to the recent unexpected rainfall in Odisha's coastal districts, the state government has officially categorized the unseasonal rains as a natural disaster.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi made this announcement during the launch of the three-day Krushi Odisha-2025 event that commenced here on Friday.
While interacting with journalists on the sidelines of the gathering, CM Majhi stated, "The unseasonal precipitation that occurred in Odisha last month resulted in extensive devastation across 16 coastal districts. Therefore, I have dispatched Ministers to the impacted areas for a thorough evaluation of the damages. An assessment was also conducted at the departmental level."
He mentioned that the visits by the Ministers, including CM Majhi himself, along with evaluations by officials highlighted the severe destruction caused by the unexpected rainfall.
The farmers in the affected districts have incurred substantial losses to their crops, he noted.
He pointed out that farmers, including sharecroppers and those engaged in vegetable, cotton, and betel cultivation, who are not covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, have also experienced significant crop losses due to the unexpected rains.
"Hence, we have instructed officials to evaluate the losses. Upon receiving the assessment report concerning the damages, we have declared unseasonal rainfall as a natural disaster," CM Majhi added.
The Chief Minister further indicated that the unseasonal rains were previously not categorized as a natural disaster under the Odisha Relief Code.
He also highlighted that approximately 666,720 farmers experienced crop losses across 226,791 hectares in the affected regions.
CM Majhi stated that farmers who suffered losses exceeding 33 percent of their total crops are eligible for financial assistance from the state government.
Additionally, he mentioned that the state government plans to allocate Rs 291.59 crore from the State Disaster Relief Fund to provide compensation as an input subsidy to the affected farmers.
While addressing attendees at the Krushi Odisha-2025 event, CM Majhi noted that 2.61 lakh farmers have applied for compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
The disbursement of compensation has also commenced from Friday, as shared by the Chief Minister.
