Uttar Pradesh: Rs 300 crore released for farmers hit by unseasonal rain

An amount of Rs 300 crore has reportedly been released by the Uttar Pradesh to help the farmers who lost their crops due to unseasonal rain and hailstroms.

As per reports, crops in 40 districts have been damaged due to the bad weather with Mathura being declared the worst-hit district.

Meanwhile, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari is set to visit Agra today to assess the crop damage suffered by farmers, accompanied by Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ram Kripal Yadav and state BJP chief Laxmikant Bajpai.

The team is also likely to visit Aligarh and Meerut.

Farmers suffered huge losses this month when unseasonal rains and hailstorm damaged the standing rabi crops in several states.

Over a dozen debt-laden farmers have committed suicide, and discontent in many rural areas against government policies is turning into anger against the government.

Unseasonal storms have badly damaged the winter crop in large parts of the fertile northern plains, most likely contributing to the suicides, and villagers have blamed the government for not stepping in to help the distressed farmers or ensuring that crop prices remained stable.