BHOPAL : That the Central government is discriminating against Madhya Pradesh is very evident by its decision to send a nine-member Central team to Chhattisgarh to assess the loss to crops due to drought while ignoring Madhya Pradesh. Both the states have demanded relief package from the Centre.
Not long back, the state government has demanded a relief package of Rs 5,500 crore from the Centre for hail-hit farmers but merely Rs 500 crore was given.
And the same seems to be happening again. According to sources, Centre has said a clear no to the state’s demand for Rs 1800 crore for Crop Insurance Scheme. Union Ministry of Finance has asked the state government to pay the money from its own resources.
The state government had cited its poor financial condition to ask the Central government for this money.
Agriculture Minister Gaurishankar Bisen said assurance to send a Central team to the state has also been given after which quantum of relief would be finalised.
Central government has not accepted any request for additional help by the state government for farmers for the past one-and-a-half years.
Congress Chief Spokesman KK Mishra said in a statement that the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan should now sit on fast in the same way as he used to do during the UPA regime.
