Nearly 32,000 hectares of crop damaged in Bihar due to rain,

Bihar agriculture minister Prem Kumar on Friday said unseasonal rain and hailstorms that had occurred in the last week of February in the state have caused damage to 31,929 hectares of crop in 11 districts.

The state disaster management department has sanctioned Rs 60 crore for compensation of crop damage, the minister said in the Assembly.

Online applications for providing compensation to farmers whose crops were damaged in the storm will be invited from March 9, Kumar said.

The minister was replying to a call attention motion of RJD's Faraz Fatimi and others who sought compensation for the crop damage.

The payment for compensation will be made within a month in farmers' bank accounts through direct benefit transfer (DBT) after thorough verification of applications, he said.

The minister said the state government had sought reports from district magistrates regarding the crop damage.

According to these reports, 33 per cent damage to crop has been assessed in the 11 districts including Patna, Gaya and Muzaffarpur, he said.

The compensation will be provided to farmers in the districts where the estimated crop damage is 33 per cent or more, the minister added.