Govt has allocated Rs 1,516.4 crore to compensate 1.51 lakh acres in 26 districts for crop loss due to heavy rains, hail
Published Date – Sat 04/22/23 06:57pm
File photo of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao inspecting damaged farmland in Khammam district on March 23.
Common: The state government has allocated Rs 250.6 crore to compensate crops damaged by unseasonal rains in the former Khammam district in March this year.
In GO RT No. 14 issued on April 19, the government has allocated Rs 1,516.4 crore to compensate crop losses due to heavy rains and hail in 151,000 acres of land in 26 districts.
Notably, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao visited the rain-stricken areas of the former Khammam, Warangal and Karimnagar districts on March 23 and announced a relief payment of Rs 10,000 per acre. He also announced that compensation would also be extended to sharecroppers.
In Khammam, 632.17 acres of land in 23 locations including corn, rice and other horticultural crops were damaged, affecting about 258 farmers in 18 locations, according to officials. In Kothagudem area, crops were damaged on 143.10 acres affecting 1978 farmers. Rs 2363 crore was released for Khammam and Rs 143 crore for Kothagudem. In an interview with Telangana Today, V Srinivas Reddy, co-director of Khammam Agriculture, said details of affected farmers, extent of crop damage and bank accounts are being collected.
Withdrawal and payment officer accounts have been created and details will be submitted to the Ministry of Finance for the compensation amount to be credited to the accounts of affected farmers. He noted that the money will be credited to the farmers’ accounts after about 10 days.
Meanwhile, Telangana Rythu Sangham chairman Bagam Hemanth Rao asked the government to buy paddy and corn damaged by heavy rains in the Khammam area on Friday. Mango orchards have also suffered damage due to sudden rains and the government should support them, he said.
Traders are trying to buy rain-damaged produce at discard prices, so the government should step in to support farmers by procuring damaged produce, he said.
