Bhubaneswar: Over 33% crop loss has been reported in about 22,699.197 hectares of farmland out of 45,375 hectares that suffered crop damage in 21 districts across the State due to heavy rains in three phases in the months of July, August, and September.
The 21 affected districts are Kalahandi, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Sonepur, Rayagada, Gajpati, Jharsuguda, Nuapada, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Boudh, Angul, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Nayagarh, Khurda, Puri, and Cuttack informed Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi in a written reply to a question by Congress MLA from Kantbanji Santosh Singh Saluja.
The Minister said that as many as 26,288 houses were affected and sand casting was reported in 30,413 hectares due to floods caused by heavy rains in the aforementioned districts. Officials of Revenue and Agriculture departments have been directed to jointly conduct assessment survey of crop loss in these districts and submit details with a list of the affected farmers to the District Collectors thereafter, he added.
Marndi has said that after receipt of the report, farm-based assistance will be disbursed to the affected farmers as per rules of the disaster relief fund.
The Minister has informed that 13 persons have died due to the floods and heavy rain.
He added that people affected by floods and heavy rain were provided with flattened rice, molasses, rice, cooked food, and polythene sheets as emergency relief and in addition to this assistance amount @ Rs 60 per day per adult for seven days and @ Rs 45 per child for seven days has been credited to the bank accounts of the affected persons.
Assistance for construction of damaged houses, utensils and clothes assistance, assistance for the removal of sand casting in farmlands have been provided to districts from the Disaster Relief Fund, the Minister stated in his reply.
The Minister has said that the allegation that flood affected persons in Bolangir district have not been provided with government relief is not true.
