Odisha Minister Affirms Farmers Will Receive Proper Compensation for Crop Losses
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Bhubaneswar, Dec 30 (NationPress) Odisha's Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari stated on Monday that the state administration will offer adequate compensation to farmers whose crops have suffered due to the recent untimely rainfall in the region.
During a press briefing on Monday, Pujari mentioned that the damage assessment reports from the impacted districts are anticipated to be submitted by the end of the day.
He confirmed that all affected farmers, including those cultivating vegetables, groundnuts, and cotton, who do not have insurance under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), will receive assistance according to the established protocols.
The Minister noted that significant damage was inflicted by the low-pressure system that caused the untimely rainfall in two distinct phases recently in the state. Both the state government and district authorities have been closely monitoring the situation since the rainfall began.
"Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and I visited three districts—Nayagarh, Gajapati, and Ganjam—to conduct a thorough on-site evaluation of the damages caused by the unseasonal rainfall. The Deputy Chief Ministers and other officials also assessed the affected areas and will provide their reports on the situation later today. During our visit, we noted that not only paddy crops but also vegetables, cotton, and groundnuts were impacted by the unexpected rainfall,” Pujari revealed.
He added that the government is exploring all avenues to classify untimely rainfall as a natural disaster, which would facilitate assistance in similar future scenarios.
Pujari further criticized the previous BJD government for their inaction regarding this issue during their tenure. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is currently addressing these matters.
Approximately 200,000 paddy farmers have reported their losses to access compensation under the PMFBY scheme. Farmers are required to report their losses within 72 hours of the incident; however, many have yet to do so.
The Central Government has extended the deadline for reporting damages under PMFBY to January 1, 2025, from the previous date of December 29.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s office, following instructions from CM Majhi, the state government had requested an extension from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The central government has granted this extension to benefit the farmers.
CM Majhi expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for their concern towards the farmers of Odisha.
The Chief Minister reiterated that all farmers, including those not covered by PMFBY, would receive compensation for losses incurred due to the unseasonal rainfall.
A ministers' committee is scheduled to convene on Monday evening to deliberate on the damages and determine the compensation amounts.
Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited several locations in his native Ganjam district to evaluate the crop losses caused by the recent unexpected rainfall.
Patnaik began his visit at Takarada gram panchayat in the Sheragada block and later proceeded to Gobindpur in the same block, Podingi village in Hinjili block, Baragaon in Aska block, Ambasikharpur in Kabisuryanagar block, and Bharasagaon in Khallikote block to assess the situation.
According to sources from the BJD, farmers expressed to Patnaik that government officials had not yet visited their areas to evaluate the damages from the untimely rainfall.
They also indicated that had the state government provided timely alerts about the impending rainfall, the extent of losses could have been mitigated.
"The crop damage is quite severe, and farmers need to be compensated swiftly, just as they were during my administration," Patnaik remarked.
The experienced leader is expected to visit four more coastal districts, including Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, and Cuttack, to further assess crop losses and engage with farmers.
