New Delhi: Farmers who are facing losses due to crop damage can heave a sigh of relief as the Delhi Cabinet has now approved ex-gratia relief at the rate of Rs 20,000 per acre (or Rs 50,000 per hectare) on account of crop losses due to unseasonal rains.
The Cabinet also approved the rates at which ex-gratia relief to farmers is to be paid as per the assessment of the loss. The expenditure under the exercise will come to around Rs 53 crore - which has been calculated with an approximate area of 29,000 acres of land in mind.
Several farmers have faced heavy losses due to the unusually delayed and record-setting rains last monsoon which caused water-logging in fields due to overflowing drains between September and October 2021. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had taken cognizance of the matter and the Delhi government had assessed that a relief package for crop damage was necessary to be provided.
As per the ex-gratia scheme, if the loss is assessed to be 70 per cent or less, compensation will be paid at the rate of 70 per cent. And if the assessed loss is more than 70 per cent, compensation will be paid at the rate of 100 per cent.
"I was growing vegetables for the local market but it was spoilt due to overflowing of the land and since it was vegetables, hardly anything could be saved as it starts to rot quickly," Yudishter, a farmer in the Najafgarh area, told Millennium Post.
The 50-year-old with a family of six is looking for a buyer to sell his land now. This is the first time that he will be receiving compensation for his crops, he said. The state government had sent teams to the ground to assess the damage done to the crops and to understand the needs of the farmers so that everyone is compensated for their losses accordingly.
The Delhi government in a statement added that ever since the Aam Aadmi Party came into power, the government has made sure that the farmers don't feel helpless. The statement added that the Delhi government has paid compensation each time the crops have been damaged and that it is the highest compensation given to farmers in the country for crop damage.