Centre provided ample support to UP Govt. to deal with farmers' crisis: Rajnath

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the Central Government has provided ample financial support to Uttar Pradesh, where the farmers incurred heavy losses after their crops were damaged in inclement weather.

Speaking at a gathering in Ayodhya, Singh said that he had encouraged the state to fully utilise the funds to help the farmers.

"The Uttar Pradesh Government has already been allotted Rs. 675 crore under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and I have myself said that the entire amount in it should be spent," he said.

The ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh had earlier alleged that the Centre was not giving due support to the state government for providing relief to farmers.

Unseasonal rain and hailstorms had badly damaged the winter crop in large parts of the fertile northern plains this year. In many cases, the villagers have blamed the government for not taking measures to help the distressed farmers or ensuring that crop prices remained stable.

In March alone, the farmers of Uttar Pradesh had to incur an estimated loss of Rs.100 crore after the rabi crops like wheat, mustard and potato were damaged due to unfavorable weather.