Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel today announced a Rs. 10,000 crore relief package for farmers affected by the unseasonal rains that lashed the state in the last week of October.

The unseasonal rainfall this year damaged crops on approximately 4.2 million hectares of farmland, prompting the government to announce the largest-ever relief package.

Announcing the package in a tweet, the CM said, “The unprecedented unseasonal rains of a kind that have not occurred in Gujarat in the past two decades have caused significant damage to the crops of farmers in various districts of the state this year. In this regard, I and my fellow ministers have visited different districts and directly interacted with the affected farmers to understand their situation. In this hour of natural calamity, the state government stands fully empathetic alongside the sons of the soil, understanding their distress.”

“Keeping in mind the sentiments of farmers in the face of widespread crop damage across the state, I announce a relief-assistance package of approximately Rs. 10,000 crore for the sons of the soil from the state government. In addition, the state government will procure groundnut, maize, tur, and soybean from farmers at support prices, with a total value exceeding Rs. 15,000 crore, starting from November 9,” the CM said.

Chief Minister further said, “I assure you that the state government has always been, is, and will remain committed to taking responsibility for the economic well-being of the providers of food.” DeshGujarat