Even as the country is busy fighting the spread of coronavirus, farmers in Uttar Pradesh are facing another crisis: damage to their crops caused by a hailstorm. As per estimates, crops worth nearly Rs 255 crore has been damaged by hailstorms and heavy rainfall across 35 districts so far this year. In the previous two years, there was no major damage to crops due to hailstorm, with the last major damage reported in 2018, when just seven districts were affected. While the loss of human life reported during hailstorm this year is 52, sources said crops that have been majorly hit include wheat, masoor, jowar, mustard, peas, etc. While nearly 6.5 lakh farmers are likely to be affected, the estimated area of crop damage is roughly around 2.37 lakh hectares. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered that compensation of Rs 4 lakh each is handed over to the families of farmers who died in incidents related to hailstorm and rain. Source - https://indianexpress.com