Rajkot: The Gujarat government would start distribution of the relief money to lakhs of farmers in the state whose crops were affected by excessive rain this year, from tomorrow, Agriculture minister R C Faldu informed today.

Addressing a press conference here he said that CM Vijay Rupani would transfer the money in the accounts of over five lakh farmers during an event on the occasion of former PM Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Vadodara tomorrow while Deputy CM Nitin Patel along with MoS Home Pradipsinh Jadeja would do so in Mahesana. Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya would do so in a function in Targhadiya near here.

He said that over 24 lakh farmers have given application for the relief. The initial estimate of the state government was that over 52 lakh farmers of the state would take the benefit. Faldu said that the state government was seeing to it as to why a big chunk of farmers have not applied for the relief.

To a query he also said that the state government has written to the union government to allow the the PM crop insurance scheme voluntary for the farmers.

Notably on November 23, the state government had announced a relief package of Rs 3795 crore for the rain affected farmers of which Rs 2154 crores would be shared by the center while the state would provide Rs 1641 crore.

The government had earlier on November 13 announced a Rs 700 crore package which was latter expanded.

Deputy CM cum Finance Minister of Gujarat Nitin Patel had said that this relief assistance would be apart from the benefits of the crops insurance scheme.

In the districts where over one inch of non-seasonal rain had affected crops farmers would get Rs 6800 per hectare with the maximum limit of two hectares. For areas with less than 1 inch of such rain it was Rs 4000 for each of the farmers.

DeshGujarat