Government of Rajasthan announced Relief Package for Farmers

The Government of Rajasthan on 17 February 2013 announced a relief package for farmers, whose crops were destroyed due to the rains and hailstorm that happened in the second week of February. The package includes waiver from paying electricity bills for months.

The State Government announced that agricultural input-grant (that is limited to its maximum up to two hectares) to the small, marginal and other farmers who have suffered losses of 50 percent or more crop damage.

Entitlement of benefits in the relief package announced:

•    3000 rupees per hectare for non-irrigated fields
•    6000 rupees per hectare for fields irrigated by canals and wells
•    For fields irrigated by diesel pumps, the decided amount is 8000 rupees per hectare
•    Farmers who have suffered more than 50 percent crop damage would be exempted from paying electricity bills for four months

The farmers engaged in contractual or partnership based farming and not listed in the revenue records needs to get a five-rupee stamp paper signed by their land owners to get the benefits of the package. A Committee constituted at the Gram Panchayat level is made responsible to take care of all sorts of problems.