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Make use of relief fund, Congress tells Raje Govt.

JAIPUR: The Congress has asked the BJP-led Rajasthan Government to make use of the funds available with the newly created “Rajasthan Rahat Kosh” (Rajasthan Relief Fund) to extend support to farmers who have suffered crop losses during the current cold wave. The State Government should provide immediate relief to the affected farmers from all available sources instead of waiting for the Centre to change the norms of the Calamity Relief Fund, it said.

Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president and former Minister Chandra Bhan said the party men along with farmers would sit on dharna at all the district headquarters on Friday to press for immediate relief to the farmers and also for regular power supply to the rural areas. The Congress had asked the Government a week back to initiate the process of assessing the crop damages but nothing had been done so far, said Dr. Bhan talking to journalists here on Thursday.

“It is most unfortunate that the BJP Government has not acted so far. On the one hand Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is talking about effective fiscal management and on the other she is looking up to the Centre for every kind of assistance,” Dr. Bhan said. “The Congress also has requested the Centre to help but why is the State not acting? ” he asked.

The erratic power supply in the rural areas aggravated the condition of the farmers as the crops, which survived the freak weather, could now die for lack of watering, it was pointed out. The party, after rough estimates, put the crop damages at Rs.1,000 crore. The worst affected districts include Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Churu, Sriganganagar, Nagaur, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Kota, Bundi and Chittorgarh.

Dr.Bhan said the Congress was all for the Centre changing the norms of the CRF to make crops damaged by cold wave conditions and frost eligible for compensation. However, instead of waiting for the Centre’s move the State Government should act making use of the available funds from the “Rahat Kosh” and the Rs.400 crore accumulated in the CRF till 2004, he said. “After Ms. Raje making an announcement on setting up Rajasthan Rahat Kosh in her Budget speech of 2005-06, nothing has been heard of it so far.”

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