Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 21 (IANS): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that "an honest decision in the history of the state has been made in terms of distribution of crop loss compensation for the first time".
"An honest step on the distribution of crop loss compensation taken. The sum of Rs 968 crore has already been disbursed for farmers," he said in the Assembly while replying during a debate on floods and crop loss, adding: "We are a pro-farmer government."
According to National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) norms, Rs 6,800 is the amount fixed for crop loss per hectare in dry land farming. On this, the Chief Minister said: "We intend to raise it."
The state government has decided to pay an additional Rs 6,800 from its own exchequer. In effect, Rs 13,600 is being paid as compensation for crop loss per hectare of dry land farming, he explained.
Similarly, Rs 13,500 has been fixed as compensation per hectare of crop loss for the irrigated lands. But, the state government has decided to pay an additional Rs 11,500 in effect, offering a total compensation of Rs 25,000 per hectare, he said.
"This will benefit farmers with a total crop area of 12.69 lakh hectares. For horticultural crops, Rs 18,000 is being paid per acre. The state government has decided to pay an additional Rs 10,000 per hectare, making it a total of Rs 28,000," the Chief Minister said.
The state government has taken this decision despite the economic hardship caused by the Covid pandemic.
"The additional amount being paid would cost Rs 12,000 crore for the exchequer," Bommai said.
'Left out houses to get compensation'
The Karnataka government has initiated measures to provide compensation for the houses damaged during the 2019 floods whose details were not uploaded in the compensation software app, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday.
"Compensation would be paid to the owners of 7,600 such houses too," the Chief Minister said in the Assembly in his reply during the debate on flood havoc.
Belagavi had suffered heavily during the 2019 floods. Deadline was extended thrice to upload the details on houses destroyed or damaged.
Details of damage to over 7,700 houses were not uploaded on the app. However, after studying the ground reality, compensation has been released for 7,600 eligible families, Bommai said.
No such hitch, however, was reported in 2020-21. For the year 2021-22, Deputy Commissioners have been vested with powers to grant compensation based on reports of Tehsildars, Bommai said.
Of the 36,698 houses completely destroyed, construction of 18,589 houses have been completed, while 7,000 houses almost completed.
Construction of 3,130 houses is yet to be taken up due to legal and administrative hurdles, the Chief Minister said.