Bhubaneswar: The State government will compensate the farmers who have suffered crop damage due to the Cyclone Dana as per the new guidelines of the SRC.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment KV Singh Deo held a review meeting today to assess crop damage and informed that the compensation amount will be transferred directly to the bank account of eligible farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
“We have instructed district level officials to send the assessment reports as per the new guidelines set by the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC). Accordingly, compensation will be disbursed to the affected farmers’ account through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT),” Singh Deo said.
“We have also urged the people to refrain from providing false and fabricated information to get undue advantage. If anyone is found to have given misleading information, action will be taken,” he added.
As per the reports, 88,594 hectares of land in seven blocks of Bhadrak district have been submerged, while 24,827 hectares of agricultural land are estimated to be likely affected. The most affected areas are Kendrapara, Jajpur, Balasore, and Bhadrak. In Kendrapara, 28,426 hectares have been damaged, particularly in Rajkanika, Mahakalpara, and Aul.
In Balasore district witnessed crop damage of 3,140 hectares. Similarly, Mayurbhanj reported damage to 2,381 hectares of land while Jajpur witnessed damage to 2,709 hectares respectively.
Senior officials, including the Principal Secretary of Agriculture Department, Dr Arabinda Padhee and Collectors from the affected districts participated in the meeting via video conference.