The final session of the 14th state Legislative Assembly got off to a tense and tumultuous start. Regarding the plight of the farmers in Gujarat, who have been at the receiving end of nature, state Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel said that farmers affected by natural calamities had been allotted a whopping Rs 6,622 crore over the past three years.
Replying to MLA Shashikant Pandya, who raised the issue of monetary assistance to farmers in Banaskantha and Jamnagar districts that were ravaged by rains recently, Patel said India was an agricultural nation which has always kept farmers as a top priority. “The Centre and the state government have never shied away from helping farmers. In fact, over the past three years, farmers in Gujarat have received Rs 6,622 crore towards compensation,” the minister said.
Patel assured that farmers in Banaskantha and Jamnagar districts would be compensated once the damage survey was completed in a month’s time. According to the rules, the district agriculture officer prepares a report of the losses incurred by farmers due to natural calamities. In the year 2020-21, the government provided assistance worth Rs 2,905 crore to farmers in 125 tehsils across 20 districts, the minister said.
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