Bhubaneswar, Oct 30 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday assured farmers affected by incessant rain, floods and post-cyclone rainfall that the state government will assess crop losses and provide compensation at the earliest in accordance with the prescribed norms.
He said the government stood firmly with farmers during natural calamities and described them as the “Annadatas” whose progress and economic prosperity are essential for the overall development of Odisha.
Referring to crop losses in some districts due to incessant rainfall, floods and the recent post-cyclone rainfall, Majhi said, “No matter what disaster strikes, your government and the Chief Minister always stand by you through thick and thin. An assessment of the damaged crops will be conducted, and appropriate compensation will be provided to the farmers as per the rules as soon as possible.”
Speaking at a State-level programme organised at Krushi Shiksha Sadan of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) here on the occasion of the release of the 24th instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Majhi said the government has taken special measures to ensure that no eligible farmer is deprived of the benefits of welfare schemes.
He urged farmers who have not yet registered on the AgriStack portal to complete the process by contacting their nearest revenue or agriculture office.
The Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched several transformative initiatives for farmers since assuming office, with the objective of ensuring that they receive their rightful entitlements. He said the PM-KISAN scheme has provided significant financial support to farmers across the country.
The 24th instalment of PM-KISAN was released by Prime Minister Modi virtually from a national-level programme at Banaskantha in Gujarat. More than 9.34 crore farmers across the country received a total of Rs 18,690 crore directly in their bank accounts.
In Odisha, Rs 707.60 crore was transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to more than 35.38 lakh eligible farmers, with each beneficiary receiving Rs 2,000.
Programmes to mark the occasion were organised across districts, blocks, gram panchayats, Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) and mandis under the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department.
Majhi also highlighted the benefits of the State government’s CM-KISAN scheme and the Krushi Vidya Nidhi scholarship scheme for children of CM-KISAN beneficiaries pursuing professional and technical courses.
The programme was attended by Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment and Energy Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Law, Works and Excise Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, Ekamra-Bhubaneswar MLA Babu Singh and Khurda MLA Prashant Kumar Jagdev, among others.
–IANS
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