Utkal Reporter Bureau
Bhubaneswar|15 October 2015
Odisha government has come up with a thousand crore rupees package to support the drought hit farmers in the state. The package contains agriculture input subsidy, loan repayment relaxation, fresh financing for rabi crop, tuition fee waiver and few more.
Announcing the package on Wednesday Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik said, “Government is fully aware of the present drought situation and is committed to protect the interest of farmers.”
As per the announcement farmers having one third or more of their crop damaged will get agriculture input subsidy of Rs6500 per hector in case of rain fed non irrigated areas and Rs 13500 per hector for assured irrigated land. Small and Marginal farmers will avail the monetary assistance. A farmer other than the small or marginal can also get the assistance at the same rate but the ceiling of two hectors per farmer will be there. Monetary assistance for perennial crop has been set at Rs18000 per Ha which would go to the actual farmer.
On the loan matter, the CM declared that short term agricultural loans would be converted to medium term loans in the drought affected areas with crop damage of 50 percent or more. This would be done by interest subversion of Rs227.38 cr over a period of three years for bringing down the interest rate to 5percent.
Government administration will keep watch on the unholy money lenders and other such elements to protect the farmers from being preyed and harassed. News of farmers suicides through the last few days have got wing in the state. Some twelve farmers are alleged to have killed themselves under loan pressure on the back drop of the staring drought.
Government has excused the 50 percent cess of land for the farmers sustaining 33 percent crop damage. Tuition fees and examination fees of students of government and government aided schools and colleges have been waived.
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