Bihar may demand ₹250 cr from Centre as crop damage aid

Bihar's agriculture department estimates flood damage to crops in 18 districts at ₹200-250 crore, affecting around 1 lakh hectares, with relief application portal opening soon.

With the Central team having visited Bihar to assess the crop damage and damages to infrastructure , property caused by floods in large number of districts, the state agriculture department has made an initial estimate that standing crops in at least 102 blocks in 18 districts covering around one lakh hectare has suffered damages,official sources said.

Bihar may demand ₹250 cr from Centre as crop damage aid

The department is likely to also put a demand for central assistance to around ₹200 crore to ₹250 crore for providing relief to the farmers for their crop damages, which would be assessed as per the norms of National Disaster Response Fund( NDRF), they added.

The farmers in affected districts would soon be asked to put their applications on the agriculture department portal for being given compensation for crop losses

“The assessment of crop damages would gain pace in next few days once the water level recedes more and the interior areas where deluge had affected life is accessible more for officials to visit the fields. Once it is done, the assessment report would be submitted to the department and then other measures would be taken for central assistance,” said an official, in know of the matter.

Under the NDRF norms, farmers having 33 percent crop damages due to floods or other disasters are covered for compensation with farmers eligible to get compensation as per the category of their fields ranging from ₹8,500 per hectare to around ₹22,000 per hectare, officials said

“There is an initial assessment that crop damages mainly paddy has been affected in around one lakh hectare spread over 102 blocks in 18 districts. The fields reports are still coming,” said another official. adding that the report of crop damages by the state government would be sent to the union government before Durga Puja, which begins from mid October.

“ We will be soon opening the portal for inviting application from affected farmers having suffered crop damages to apply for getting relief. Based on that , we will submit the number of estimated beneficiaries,” he added.

A Central team of officials led by Union minister for agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Bihar on September 16 to take stock of the flood-related damages to crop and infrastructure following which an assurance was made that the Centre would provide all assistance to the state to provide relief to the flood-affected people.

Around five million people have been affected by the flood this time in low lying areas of Patna, Bhojpur, Vaishali, Bhagalpur,Saharsa and other districts due to the rise in water level of Ganga, Gandak and Kosi while heavy discharge from upstream of the rivers.

Meanwhile, the senior officers of the agriculture department remained tight-lipped about the assessment going on and the estimated amount to be sought. Agriculture minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Friday also held round of meetings with officials on intensifying the assessment of crop damages and has already reiterated that all flood victims having suffered crop damages would be given compensation.