Ahmedabad, Oct 29 (PTI) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday ordered a survey to assess the loss incurred by the farmers due to the recent spell of unseasonal rains, said a minister.
The
state cabinet discussed crop damage due to rains in the past week, Jitu Vaghani, state agriculture minister and government spokesperson, told reporters in Gandhinagar.
According to a preliminary report received from the State Emergency Operation Center, 239 talukas across 33 districts in the state received heavy rains from October 23 to 28, he said.
“Our estimates suggest that the rains affected more than 10 lakh hectares of farmland. To provide financial assistance to the affected farmers as quickly as possible, the CM gave instructions to start a survey of crop loss as per the SDRF (State Disaster Relief Fund) norms and complete it within seven days,” said Vaghani.
The state government may consider giving additional assistance over and above what is prescribed under the SDRF norms, the minister said.
The survey will be done with the help of the latest technology so that financial assistance can be disbursed to the affected farmers without any delay. A physical assessment will also be done, he said.
A special “Agro Advisory” has been issued by the agriculture department for the protection of crops still standing in the field, he said.
Following the unseasonal rains, Patel had earlier asked all ministers to visit the affected areas and take stock of the situation, said Vaghani, adding that the CM is also monitoring the situation in real time from Gandhinagar. PTI PJT NR
