Bhubaneswar: Mounting a scathing attack on the BJD Government in Odisha, the state Congress on Tuesday accused it of remaining a mute spectator to the plight of farmers, who suffered extensive crop damage due to heavy rains and subsequent floods.
Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, Chairman of the farmer wing of the state Congress Amiya Patnaik claimed that Kharif crops were completely washed away in over 15 lakh acre area following incessant rains and floods.
This apart, vegetable cultivation and other plantations suffered extensive damage in an area of around five lakh acres in the state, compounding the woes of the farmers, he said.
“However, the Government has all along been a silent spectator. Despite being aware of the imminent floods, the government failed to take any preventive measures. As a result river embankments breached at several places, causing extensive damage to standing crops,” the Kisan Congress leader said.
Hitting out at the state government for not amending the relief code, he said the distressed farmers are deprived of appropriate assistance due to negligence on the part of the administration.
“The government must provide immediate assistance to the farmers instead of resorting to hollow assurances and announcements,” he said, adding that the farmers are hit hard by an acute shortage of seeds and fertilisers.
Claiming that farmers are unable to get the benefit of the crop insurance scheme, Patnaik said they are also denied proper price for their produce, while the state’s KALIA and the Centre’s PM-Kisan schemes have failed to provide the much-needed succour to the farmers of Odisha at this hour of crisis.
Of the 75 lakh farmers’ families, around 25 lakh families are deprived of the benefits of KALIA and 43 lakh are denied assistance under the PM-Kisan scheme as the state government has no accurate data about the farmers, he claimed.
To mitigate the miseries of the farmers, the state government should make an early assessment of crop damage and provide immediate assistance, proper seeds, fertilisers and pesticides to the farmers, he said.
Steps should also be taken to waive farm loans and arrange interest-free loans for the next rabi crops, he added.
