Gujarat Announces Rs.531-crore Relief Package for Farmers Affected by Flood

The Gujarat government announced Rs.531 crore compensation package for farmers impacted by floods in nine districts in September on Tuesday. 

Jitu Vaghani, the government's spokesperson and state minister, announced the package, noting that it will cover nine districts, 37 tehsils, and 1,530 villages. The total area to be covered by the package is around 7.65 lakh hectares, which belong to 5 lakh farmers. Ahmedabad, Botad, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Panchmahals, Junagadh, Chhota Udepur, and Vadodara were among the nine districts affected by the floods in September. 

Vaghani stated that the package was announced after a survey of the impacted districts. According to the package, a farmer is entitled for Rs.6800 per acre for up to 2 hectares of land. He further stated that under the regulations of the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), in case of damage in 0.5 hectare land, the farmer is eligible for Rs.3400 as relief. 

However, he added, the state government has agreed to provide relief of Rs.4000 in such circumstances, with the latter bearing the difference of Rs.600. 

Any farmer who has sustained more than 33% crop loss as a result of the floods will be entitled for a minimum compensation of Rs.4000. Farmers will be able to file compensation applications through the state government's digital portal between December 6 and December 24. 

Agriculture officials have allegedly confirmed that excessive rains during the season caused crop losses on thousands of acres. A six-member central team returned from a four-day visit to Tamil Nadu earlier this week to inspect rain-related damage, as the state has requested 4,000 crore in central aid for restoration work. 

It must be noted that from October 1 to November 25, Tamil Nadu got 61% more rain than usual during the northeast monsoon season. Since the first week of November severe rains has wreaked havoc across the state, particularly in Chennai.