Bihar Govt to Provide Financial Aid to Farmers for Losses Incurred During Rains & Hailstorms

Officials said, as per the data shared in the meeting, 33 per cent and above of standing crops, covering a total area of 54,022 hectares in six Bihar districts of Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Rohtas, Gaya, and East Champaran have suffered damages in unseasonal rains and hailstorm on March 17.

Officials said the Bihar government has decided to offer compensation to farmers in six districts affected by the unseasonal rains against crop losses following a report submitted by the respective district magistrates, adding that a sum of ₹92 crores would be provided to the state agriculture department by the disaster management department for paying compensation to farmers as per rules.

At a high-level meeting held on Wednesday evening, an order to this effect was issued by chief minister Nitish Kumar in which top officials of the agriculture and disaster management departments were present, a press release said.

According to the data shared in the meeting, 33 per cent and above of standing crops, covering a total area of 54,022 hectares in six districts of Muzaffarpur, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Rohtas, Gaya, and East Champaran, have suffered the loss in unseasonal rains and hailstorm on March 17, officials said.

An official in the agriculture department said, “We will invite applications from farmers soon. The compensation would be paid as per rules for irrigated and non-irrigated land per hectare,”

Officials said the affected farmers would be eligible to get ₹6,800 per hectare for non-irrigated land and ₹13,500 per hectare for irrigated land.

The agriculture department had prior asked DMs to send reports of crop losses so that the process of paying compensation could be started.

With the state agriculture department, there are about 1.90 crore farmers registered.

Another official said, “The wheat crop has suffered the maximum damage in the recent hailstorms, apart from horticulture crops in a few districts in north Bihar, including Muzaffarpur,”

On Wednesday, the meeting was attended by the chief secretary Amir Subhani, additional chief secretary (finance) S Siddharth, agriculture secretary N Sarvana Kumar, and secretary and disaster management department Sanjay Kumar Agarwal.