The Gujarat government today introduced a special relief package for the farmers affected by the recent flooding caused by the overflowing Narmada River in Bharuch, Narmada, and Vadodara districts between Sept 16 and Sept 18. 

Decision made after outcries in the assembly

Following a report on the estimated damages incurred by standing crops in the three districts due to the river flooding, the government has decided to allocate a special relief package from the state budget, in addition to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), to assist farmers in recovering their losses.

Earlier, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi pointed out, “Despite heavy rain in Madhya Pradesh and continuous monitoring of water levels in the Narmada dam, SSNNL (Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam ltd) officials did not release an adequate amount of water on Sept 15 and 16. Instead, they waited for the dam to overflow on Sept 17, causing massive flooding downstream.”

Previously, the ruling BJP had faced criticism from the opposition, including the Congress and AAP, who accused the party of insensitivity toward the flood-affected residents in low-lying areas, and labeled the situation a “man-made disaster.”

The relief package offers

The relief package will benefit farmers who have suffered a loss of 33% or more in agricultural and horticultural crops during the kharif season 2023-24 in the affected villages, as declared by the district administration, with a maximum cap of two hectares.

For non-irrigated agricultural crops, affected farmers will receive ₹8,500 per hectare as per SDRF norms. For irrigated agriculture and rainfed horticulture crops, they will receive ₹8,000, in addition to ₹17,000 per hectare as per SDRF norms. Perennial crops will receive assistance of ₹15,000 per hectare, in addition to ₹22,500 paid as per SDRF norms.

Similarly, for perennial horticultural crops with a loss of 33% or more, farmers will be eligible for assistance of ₹1,02,500 per hectare.

(Source: IANS)

-Edited for style

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