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₹700 cr approved for Maharashtra flood relief: Minister Tomar to Parliament
Amid stormy scenes, Tomar made a statement on the catastrophic flooding in Maharashtra, which has reportedly killed nearly a dozen people and displaced hundreds
Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, replying to a question in Lok Sabha, said on Tuesday that the Centre had approved nearly ₹700 crore towards relief of farmers in flood-hit Maharashtra, even as Opposition members continued disrupting the lower chamber for the fifth straight day.
Speaker Om Birla urged the Opposition to join in the proceedings repeatedly but the question hour had to be adjourned many times. The first hour of Lok Sabha is reserved for question on any public issue from lawmakers and called the Question Hour, according to Lok Sabha conventions.
The members of the Opposition kept up protests demanding discussions on the Pegasus Project, the recent case of data leaked to a consortium of news media, suggesting a spyware was used to track various people in India.
The Opposition began protests with noisy slogans, prompting the Speaker to intervene. “Please return to your seats and take part in the proceedings. You can get the government to answer all your questions. Please cooperate,” Birla said, making similar requests frequently.
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Amid stormy scenes, Tomar made a statement on the catastrophic flooding in Maharashtra, which has reportedly killed hundreds of people and affected thousands of families.
“We have received and analysed a detailed report of destruction in the state due to the recent floods, especially to farmers. The home ministry has approved ₹700 crore towards relief,” Tomar said.
The farm minister, who is facing protests also from farmers who want the government to scrap three recent agricultural laws, said nearly 1.1 million farmers were given claims under a flagship state-run agricultural insurance scheme. Farmers will receive additional compensation under the state’s disaster relief fund, he said.
The first of the several adjournments happened within nearly 40 minutes of the day’s session. Tomar seized the opportunity to slam the Opposition.
“Speaker Sir, through you, I want to tell all the members of the house and particularly the Opposition members that there are more than 15 questions related to village and farmers in the today’s list of business. If the Opposition members have even the slightest regard for the farmers, they should sit in their places peacefully. You should raise you issue through these questions and listen the reply of the government,” Tomar said.
“Due to the uproar, the dignity of the House is being destroyed, the public is also being harmed and the character of the opposition parties towards the farmers is also evident,” he said.
Members of the Trinamool Congress continued to protest. They had brought placards that had protest messages, such as “Master of Digital Invasion” and “Big Brother is watching”.
