The Hindu : Front Page : Assam seeks Central team to assess crop damage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 18, 2006

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Assam seeks Central team to assess crop damage

Sushanta Talukdar

Nearly 8.17 lakh farmers affected by drought-like conditions

LOOKING FOR HELP: A farmer looking hopefully to the sky from his parched paddy field in Tezpur in Sonitpur district of Assam on Thursday. — PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR

Guwahati: The Assam Government on Thursday urged the Centre to depute a team at the earliest to assess the damage caused by a drought-like situation to kharif crops.

The Government has also decided to release Rs. 50 crores during the rabi crop season for distribution of seeds and fertilizers among affected farmers. An amount of Rs. 7 crore would be released immediately for distribution of seeds of black grams and pulses before September 15.

Land tax waived

The Government had on Tuesday waived land tax for affected farmers. It announced special holidays for schools from August 15 to 20 in view of unbearable dry weather.

After reviewing the situation at an emergency meeting here on Thursday Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi wrote to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar urging him to immediately rush a team to the State to assess the crop damage to facilitate early release of relief for farmers.

The State Government said a total of 8,17,769 farmers in 19 districts had been affected and over five lakh hectares of crop damaged. The Government has so far released Rs 1.40 crore for distribution of 10 litres of diesel to each of the affected farmers to pump water for irrigating dry paddy fields. So far 34,800 farmers have been covered.

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