STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Senior Congress leader and former Minister and General Secretary PCC Dr Manohar Lal Sharma on Thursday demanded free ration and compensation for farmers who have incurred losses due to drought like conditions in Jammu Province.
He raised the demand during his visit to different villages of District Kathua in which number of Kissan delegations apprised him about the sufferings due to recent wheat crop loss and indifference shown by BJP-PDP government in tackling with the situation.
Giving a patient hearing, Manohar endorsed farmers viewpoint and criticized the central and State dispensations for turning a deaf ear towards the woes of hard working tillers of Jammu Province facing brunt of the nature with scanty rainfall and ignoring farmers’ plight to assess the losses and sanction ex-gratia.
“Government agencies such as revenue and agriculture departments are paying no heed towards the sufferings of the farmers and no on-spot inspections have been made to assess the actual losses of the crops which are estimated to over 80 per cent”, he rued.
Despite political parties and Kissan organizations highlighting the demand of ex-gratia at various levels, nothing concrete has been done so far, he added.
Dr. Sharma said that there is almost 90 per cent crop damage in Kandi and rain-fed areas and more than 70 per cent of damage in hilly and other areas of the district Kathua as well as in the Jammu province and the cost of seeds, fertilizers and other means including tilling by tractors and thrashing is so high that farmers are overburdened due to withdrawal of subsidy and unprecedented price hike. “Due to the damage of crops, the farmers are feeling helpless to repay the crop loans taken from various banks further aggravating the problem”, he added.
Dr Sharma slammed the government for not keeping its word on waiving the farmers’ loans up to Rs 50,000 on Kissan credit cards/crop loan as promised by Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu in last budget even after passing of more than a year.
