The extent of the damage to crops due to the recent rains is not yet known as the Union Agriculture Ministry is still preparing its assessment.
During the march to Rashtrapati Bhawan against the Centre’s Land Acquisition Bill on Tuesday, the Opposition had raised a slogan ‘Narendra Modi, Kisan Virodhi’.
“The long-pending discussion on the agrarian situation in the country finally started in Parliament this [Wednesday] evening under Section 193... it will resume tomorrow [Thursday] when I will give my response in which I will list the steps for farmers,” Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told The Hindu .
He, however, said he had no knowledge of the high-level meeting or if a relief package comprising new measures for farmers was in the offing.
Mr. Singh said States such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh had already started the process of drawing assistance for farmers from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
The Ministry has in addition advised States to draw from the Rs 500-crore Price Stabilisation that Fund Mr. Jaitley had announced in his July 2014 Budget to stock up on food items, especially onions and potatoes hit by disruptions in supplies, he said.
Inflation in retail prices of vegetables hit 13 per cent in February, according to official data released last week.
