Haryana: As Untimely Rains Destroys Crops, 87,000 Farmers Rush for Compensation

With another unusual spell of rain wreaking havoc on the growing fields in Haryana, around 87,000 farmers have reported crop damage over 3.28 lakh acres across the state on the e-Fasal Kshatipurti Portal, according to a report by The Tribune.

The Revenue and Disaster Management department floated the portal on September 26, which is linked with ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’, after continuous rains damaged Kharif crops, including paddy, guar, bajra and cotton, in the state. Farmers were told to make claims within 72 hours of the crop damage by entering khasra numbers.

Till September 29, the maximum damage had been reported from Fatehabad. As many as 10,319 farmers complained of crop damage over 44,506 acres. It is followed by Rewari where 11,346 farmers reported damage over 40,442 acres. The third most affected district is Ambala, where 6,424 farmers complained about damage to crops over 21,227 acres. In Kaithal, 4,819 farmers claimed damage over 20,633 acres, while in Hisar, 4,589 farmers reported damage over 17,484 acres.

Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) and Financial Commissioner, Revenue and Disaster Management and Consolidation departments, Varinder Singh Kundu, told the newspaper, “The patwaris and kanungos have to complete the verification within seven days. After that, the Tehsildar and the SDM will verify the claims within ten days of the receipt of the reports from patwaris and kanungos.”

“We believe that 90 to 95% of farmers have uploaded the claims of crop damage. The compensation will be paid after harvesting, after comparing the output,” he said.

These farmers, who have applied for compensation, are not covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY), Mukhya Mantri Bagwani Bima Yojna (MMBBY) and Seed Development Programme. Interestingly, in an earlier report, it was found that 29,000 PMFBY applications by cotton growers of Haryana last month were rejected on flimsy grounds by the private insurance provider.

With erratic rains and other grave occurrences like the lumpy skin disease that has killed more than 1 lakh cattle and disrupted the dairy sector, as well as drought and instances of ‘white fly’ pests in fields, the Kharif 2022 season, has been riddled with challenges for the north Indian farmer.