Crop damage compensation within a month: Capt Abhimanyu

Monetary relief would be provided within a month to farmers whose crops were left damaged after the recent unseasonal rains and hailstorms in several parts of the state, Haryana Finance and Revenue Minister Captain Abhimanyu said today.
"The farmers will receive compensation cheques within one month. Necessary steps are being taken to get the Special Power Attorney forms filled up by the farmers so that members of their families, especially girls and women, do not have to visit Tehsil for completing the formalities for getting the compensation," Abhimanyu said while reviewing the works of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department here.

Department Additional Chief Secretary Dalip Singh, who was also present in the meeting, said the state has constituted committees of senior officers like HCS or Class-I officers in each district for smooth and transparent disbursement of relief.
He said instructions are being issued to all the deputy commissioners in this regard.
Control room has been made operational at the headquarters here for monitoring the status of 'girdawari' (survey to assess crop damage), special girdawari and relief distribution, Singh said.
He said the state government has also released a sum of Rs 97.29 crore as compensation to be disbursed amongst farmers of eleven districts - Ambala, Hisar, Bhiwani, Jind, Mewat, Rewari, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon, Palwal, Rohtak and Sonepat - whose crops were damaged due to hailstorm in February and March 2014.

He said that this amount was based on old norms of relief. This compensation amount would be disbursed along with the relief to be sanctioned on account of damages in March-April 2015, he clarified.

Meanwhile, Abhimanyu said the Revenue and Disaster Management Department hopes to receive 'girdawari' reports soon from various districts.
Expressing concern over the damage caused to the crops, the Minister said both the Central and state governments were sensitive towards the needs of the farmers.
"The central government has increased the compensation for affected crops from Rs 3,600 to Rs 5,400. Similarly, the state government has also enhanced the compensation amount from Rs 10,000 per acre to Rs 12,000 per acre for 75 to 100 per cent damage to the wheat crop whereas the compensation amount for Mustard crop has been increased from 7,500 to Rs 10,000 per acre," he added.