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‘Relief package for farmers too little’

JAIPUR: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has termed the Rajasthan Government’s relief package for farmers affected by frost and extreme weather conditions as “grossly inadequate”. Even while asking the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre to include crop-based catastrophes eligible for compensation under the Calamity Relief Fund, the party has decided to start district-wise protests against the inadequate relief.

“The relief package is only a token gesture. We demand higher compensation to the farmers affected by crop damages along with expansion of the area covered,” said Hannan Mohlla, MP and party in-charge for Rajasthan after a meeting of the CPI (M) State Secretariat here over the weekend.

“A single district has suffered more damages than what the State Government here has acknowledged,” he charged.

Mr. Mohlla said the party was pursuing the issue of crop damages due to the extreme weather conditions in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Assam. The CPI (M) leaders, along with the members of Kisan Sabha, had met Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar in Delhi on February 14 in this connection.

“Mr. Pawar’s response was very positive. In front of us he spoke to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda on phone,” Mr. Mohlla informed. The CPI (M) has asked the affected State units to provide information on the damages to crops in their respective areas. r. Mohlla said the party would hold district level protests on February 27 in Rajasthan and gherao the office of the Collector to press for adequate compensation for the crop loss and over the issue of price rise and poor implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in the State.

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