‘Late submission of memorandum delayed team’s visit to flood-hit areas’

We can’t see any damage on the field now, says team head

B.R. Sinha, Joint Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India speaking to presspersons at VIP Circuit House at Yermarus near Raichur on Tuesday.— SANTOSH SAGAR

Late submission of the final memorandum by the State government to the Union government on crop loss caused by pre-monsoon rain, and the gram panchayat polls, delayed the visit by an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to flood-hit areas, according to B.R. Sinha, Joint Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Union government, and head of the team.

He was speaking to mediapersons at the VIP Circuit House at Yermarus on the outskirts of Raichur on Tuesday.

“Some parts of the State were hit by pre-monsoon rain in the last week of April and the first week of May. The State government submitted several memorandums to the Union government, as and when rain occurred and caused crop damage.

“We received the final report from State government at the end of May; by then the process of gram panchayat polls was under way. These factors delayed the visit of the central team. Though we could not notice any damage on the field due to our delayed visit, we will interact with farmers and cross-verify the facts provided by the Deputy Commissioners,” he said.

Owing to paucity of time, he added, the central team was divided into three to simultaneously visit three flood-hit regions in the State.

“We will compile the findings of all the teams into one comprehensive report and submit it to the Union government at the earliest. We have asked the State government to provide some additional information which will be incorporated in our final report,” he said. Mr. Sinha said that the BJP government at the Centre had increased crop damage compensation amount by 50 per cent and decreased the eligibility criteria from 50 per cent loss to 33 per cent loss to safeguard the interests of farmers.

“Earlier, compensation was given only when crop loss was 50 per cent or more. Now, it has been reduced to 33 per cent,” he said.

The other two members of the team, Anil Pratap Singh of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation and S.K. Rajendra, Deputy Director, Ministry of Power, were present.

Presentation

Earlier, S. Sasikanth Senthil, R R Jannu and Sameer Shukla, Deputy Commissioners of Raichur, Koppal and Ballari, respectively, made brief presentations to the team members about crop damage in their districts due to pre-monsoon rain. The team then visited some rain-hit villages in Sindhanur taluk before leaving for Hosapete in Ballari district.