Calling the loss of crops and deaths in this week’s torrential rain and hailstorm a national calamity, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan has said that Rs. 2,000 crore would be set aside for relief in the Vote-on-Account in the Vidhan Sabha starting on Monday.
Forty-nine of the State’s 51 districts have witnessed hailstorm and heavy rains due to a cyclonic system over Gujarat and Malwa this week. This is the heaviest February rain the State has seen since 1926.
Official figures show 9,584 villages have lost crops. The State is likely to lose its second position in wheat production. Five people and 50 head of cattle have lost their lives.
