The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Ex gratia announced for hailstorm victims

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 23, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Ex gratia announced for hailstorm victims

Special Correspondent

16 die in `mini-calamity', crops in 5 lakh acres damaged

Revenue Minister D. Prasada Rao

HYDERABAD: Revenue Minister D. Prasada Rao has announced a relief package for victims of the recent hailstorm, which claimed 16 lives and damaged crops in 5 lakh acres of six districts -- Karimnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and Anantapur.

Talking about the damage in the Assembly on Wednesday, the Revenue Minister, D. Prasada Rao, said the mini-calamity had destroyed 1,517 houses, while 5,176 cattle or sheep perished. In all, 56,678 marginal and small farmers were affected.

Under the relief package a family living below the poverty line would receive ex gratia of Rs. 50,000 under Apathbandhu scheme in case of death due to the hailstorm. If the family did not belong to this category, the same amount would be released from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Input subsidy

Farmers whose crops were damaged, would be paid compensation in the form of input subsidy to be released through bank cheques. The affected families were given 20 kg of rice and kerosene as immediate relief.

Responding to a plea by members from Medak and Nizamabad, Mr. Prasada Rao said sugarcane might not have suffered as much as other crops but he would see that their request for payment of input subsidy was examined.

He said a complete picture about the damage caused by the hailstorm was not yet available as enumeration was still on in some districts. The Minister said the State, as a whole, received 31.9 mm of rainfall during the wet spell on March 3, 5, 9 and 10 as against the normal of 23.9 mm for this period -- 34 per cent in excess.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail