Considering the extensive damage to property and crops due to the incessant rain and consequent flood which occurred in four KBK districts including Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi districts from June 12 to 14 last, the State Government on Tuesday announced a special package for the affected families to ameliorate their sufferings.
Announcing the package, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the farmers, who have suffered crop loss above 50 percent due to the calamity, would be provided with ex-gratia assistance at the rate of `2,000 per hectares subject to the ceiling laid down in the norms of the Calamity Relief Fund and the State Disaster Relief Fund. The assistance is over and above the agricultural input subsidy, he said.
In order to help the affected farmers to take up their agricultural activities during the Kharif season, the Chief Minister also announced that agricultural input subsidy at the rate of `3,000 per hectare for rainfed areas, `6,000 per hectare for irrigated areas and `8,000 per hectare for perennial crops would be provided to the affected farmers.
The package also ensured that the minimum assistance to any affected farmers will not be less than Rs 2,000 by administering both ex-gratia assistance and agricultural input subsidy.
However, the State Government has made it clear that the assistance would only be paid to the actual cultivators who have suffered crop loss to the extent of 50 per cent or more. It will be assessed jointly by the Agriculture and Revenue officials.
The Government also deferred repayment of crop loans of the affected farmers for a period of one year without any change in the rate of interest applicable to the existing crop loan being availed by the farmers. Pointing out that the non-repayment of the existing loan will not be treated as default, the package said that crop loans during the current Kharif season will be made available to the affected farmers.
As per the package, paddy seeds will be distributed free of cost to the farmers who have lost seedling due to the rain and consequent flood. Relating to the damage paddy, the Chief Minister said that the Central Government would be requested for relaxation of the Fair Average Quality (FAQ) norms for procurement of paddy in the affected areas.
He also asked the State Civil Supplies Corporation to take steps to lift the paddy available in the market yards and mandis in the four affected districts through a special drive and ensure a minimum support price (MSP) for the procurement.
The Chief Minister also announced additional seed money of Rs 5,000 to the Affected Self Help Groups (SHGs), which have taken up cultivation and sustained crop loss in the four districts.
In order to protect the harvesting paddy and other crops, the Government also decided to construct threshing floors and sheds through RMCs on priority basis. The Chief Minister also asked the Cooperation Department to ensure their construction as soon as possible.
Regarding the damages to the houses and the families which have lost everything in the rain and flood, the Chief Minister announced that assistance for repair and reconstruction of houses along with assistance for clothing and utensils will be provided to the affected families.
Stating that the assistance would be provided under the norms of SDRF and NDRF, the Chief Minister asked the concerned District Collectors to ensure relief within a week's time positively.
As per the package, houses under the Indira Awas Yojana and the Mo Kudia will be provided to the families whose houses have been fully damaged.
Meanwhile, the Panchayati Raj Minister Kalpataru Das, who along with Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Pratap Keshari Deb visited the affected districts, said that Kalahandi and Koraput were the worst affected districts due to the rain and related flood. There has been crop loss in around 17,000 hectares, he said
