Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the Centre would provide all possible help to farmers whose crops had been damaged in the unseasonal rains and hail, even if it meant relaxing the norms for compensation.
“We will go beyond the rules and provide relief to farmers on humanitarian ground,” he told reporters here after visiting Kota and Bundi districts which were the worst affected in the recent rains.
The Centre would work with the States to raise the compensation limit for affected farmers. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is deeply concerned about the loss to the farmers. The government will raise the compensation limit,” Mr. Jaitley told farmers in Timeli, one of the worst affected villages, about 65 km from district headquarters.
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“We take the responsibility to help you stand up again after this huge loss of crops and livestock,” the Finance Minister assured the farmers. Mr. Jaitley said Mr. Modi had directed the Union Ministers to visit the most affected areas.
The Finance Minister said he was briefed by the State government on the extent of damage and he would send an inter-ministerial team to assess it within three days based on which the compensation would be announced.
The Rajasthan government made out a case for extending relief work beyond 90 days, providing 200 days of work under MGNREGA and relaxing rules for providing compensation to all farmers based on the loss rather than to only those who had lost more than 50 per cent of the crop.
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The State also sought relaxation in utilising more money for relief from the MPLAD Fund and the Chief Minister’s Calamity Relief Fund.
The former Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, said the conditions in Rajasthan were serious and maximum support should be provided to the State government to bail out the farmers.