KCR Announces Rs. 10,000 Per Acre Compensation For Damaged Crops

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has announced a compensation of Rs. 10,000 per acre for crops damaged by the untimely rains and hailstorm that hit Telangana last week.

The Chief Minister today visited fields where crops were damaged in Bonakal mandal of Khammam district and Vangara mandal of Palakurthi Assembly constituency in Jangaon district, and enquired about the problems being faced by the farmers.

Speaking to the media later in Raavinuthala village of Khammam district, the Chief Minister said that a total of Rs 228.25 crore would be released to the farmers, and that the distribution of the financial assistance would be initiated by the district authorities at the earliest.

He said that standing crops in about 2.22 lakh acres were damaged, of which maize in 1,29,446 lakh acres, paddy in 72,709 acres, mango in 8,865 acres and other crops in 17,238 acres were affected.

He said that the financial assistance would be offered equally to all crops, and that the funds would provide much-needed relief to the farmers who had suffered significant losses due to the inclement weather conditions.

"Telangana is only the State in the country implementing pro-agricultural policies and offering several incentives to farmers. The State government will extend all the necessary and possible support to the affected farmers, including the tenant farmers," KCR said.

Accusing the union government of not having an agriculture policy, the Chief Minister said that the crop loss report would not be sent to the Centre as a mark of protest for its failure in releasing crop loss assistance to Telangana in the past.

"The present crop insurance policies will not benefit the farmers. These have been designed only aimed at benefiting the insurance companies. The country needs a new agriculture policy. The current government at the Centre is not willing to take advice from others to design the agriculture policy for the country. Our pleas to the Centre fall on deaf ears," the Chief Minister said.