Leaving farmers in the lurch once again, the State government has drastically cut down on the extent of crop losses due to last month’s heavy rains, from the initial estimate of 4.15 lakh acres to a meagre 79,574 acres.

The State government, which announced a compensation of Rs.10,000 per acre for those whose crops were damaged between August 31 and September 6, has now released only Rs 79.57 crore in compensation. This amount is expected to be directly deposited into farmers’ accounts on Thursday.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier revealed the preliminary estimates that around 1.53 lakh acres got damaged during the rains and assured farmers of support.

Just three days ago, the Chief Minister submitted a representation to union Home Minister Amit Shah to release Rs.11,713 crore towards flood relief. In his report, Revanth Reddy informed that around 4.15 lakh acres got damaged due to the heavy rains.

However, following a reassessment, the Agriculture department concluded that crop losses above the 33 per cent threshold, which qualifies for compensation, accounted for only 79,574 acres.

Of this, Khammam district reported the highest damage at 28,407 acres, followed by Mahbubnagar with 14,669 acres, Suryapet with 9,828 acres, and other districts contributing 3,288 acres.

The drastic reduction of 3.45 lakh acres from the initial estimate has left many farmers angered and frustrated. Farmers are questioning the accuracy of the revised figures, accusing the government of downplaying the true extent of their losses.

Reacting to this, BRS working president KT Rama Rao ridiculed the State government for its drastic reduction in the damaged crop area assessment and a meagre Rs 10,000 per acre compensation. He pointed out that while Revanth Reddy initially claimed 4.15 lakh acres of crops were damaged, the final figure was slashed to just 79,574 acres.

“How did 3.35 lakh acres disappear? Is the government’s own assessment untrue?” he questioned, accusing the Congress government of betraying farmers again by providing compensation for only a fraction of the losses.

He reminded that the State government had earlier reported 5.2 lakh acres of damage to the Central team, yet drastically cut the figures. He condemned the government for failing to stand by farmers, holding it responsible for inadequate compensation and neglecting the agrarian crisis. “This is not support, it’s sarcasm,” he remarked.

Source - https://www.en.etemaaddaily.com