The State government has released Rs. 65 crore under the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) to take up relief works, pay compensation to farmers who lost their crops owing to unseasonal rains and hailstorms in a few districts, tackle drinking water shortage, and to take up drought-relief works.
Government OrderAs per a March 13 Government Order, Rs. 3 crore each has been released to Belgaum, Uttara Kannada, Bijapur, Gadag and Kolar districts and Rs. 2 crore each for the remaining 25 districts. The Government Order clearly states that the relief fund cannot be used for purposes other than addressing the problems caused by natural calamities such as taking up emergency drinking water projects in villages facing acute shortage and meeting fodder shortage.
Meanwhile, official sources in Gulbarga said on Tuesday that the Union government had slightly modified the norms of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) by increasing the amount paid as relief to those in kutcha and pucca houses.
Revised normsAs per the revised norms, the ex-gratia amount paid to the families of a deceased person has been fixed at Rs. 1.5 lakh each.
If a person loses his/her limb or eyes, a compensation of Rs. 43,500 each is paid for disability between 40 and 80 per cent, and Rs. 62,000 each for more than 80 per cent disability.
In the case of grievous injury and hospitalisation of more than a week, Rs. 9,300 would be paid to the victim as compensation and Rs. 3,100 would be paid for hospitalisation of less than a week.
Loss of utensils, clothesIf a family loses clothes, utensils and household articles, Rs. 1,300 would be paid for each affected family for loss of clothes and Rs. 1,400 each for loss of utensils and household goods.
For small and marginal farmers, an assistance of Rs. 8,100 a hectare of land would be provided for removing silt of more than three inches deposited owing to floods and rains.
As much as Rs. 4,500 a hectare would be paid as input subsidy when the crop loss is more than 50 per cent in rain-fed areas and Rs. 9,000 a hectare in irrigated areas.
For the loss of perennial crops, a sum of Rs. 12,000 a hectare would be paid as input subsidy to farmers, irrespective of their land holding.
