BHOPAL : Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan met Union Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Wedneday and reiterated his appeal for early release of special package for drought relief to Madhya Pradesh.
The state government has submitted a memorandum for special package for drought relief to Central government in October. Demand of Rs. 4,420 crore was made in the memorandum.
Central teams had visited drought affected areas of the state to assess crop loss in November. Chauhan said that special package has been given to other drought affect states like Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Odisha. The Chief Minister said that after visit of Central teams in drought affected areas of the state, the Union Agriculture Ministry had submitted report about crop loss assessment to Union Home Ministry for sanction. Decision about it is to be taken by a high level committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry.
Chauhan urged the Union Home Minister to convene an early meeting of this committee so that special package can be given to the state government at the earliest.
Apprising Union Agriculture and Home Ministers of condition of drought in the state, the Chief Minister gave detailed information about special efforts by the state government to give relief to farmers. He informed that the state government has waived electricity bills of affected farmers and paid about Rs. 375 crore for this to power companies from its own resources. Similarly, the state government has extended scheme to provide loans on zero percent interest rate for one year. But the prescribed interest on loans of farmers is being paid to the banks by the state government.
