Compensation sought for loss of crops in MP, Rajasthan

New Delhi, Mar 9 (UNI) BJP MPs from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh today demanded compensation from the Centre for farmers who lost their standing and newly-harvested crops in the hailstorm that lashed several areas of the states recently.

Voicing the issue during zero hour in the Lok Sabha, Mr Girdhari Lal Bhargava said the Centre should send a team of experts to assess the extent of damage and formulate a compensation package accordingly.

The newly-harvested mustard crop lying in the fields had been damaged in the untimely rains, delaying their threshing and winnowing operation, he added.

Raising a similar concern, Mr Ganesh Singh (BJP) said untimely rains and swift winds ruined gram, lentil and arhar crops at a maturing stage, resulting in heavy loss in output. Some farmers would not recover even the cost of production, he added.

Mr Singh also urged the Centre to assess the loss and compensate it.

Meanwhile, Ms Kiran Maheshwari (BJP) raised the issue of non-availability of foodgrains in both APL and BPL categories under the public distribution system (PDS) despite reducing the quantum of ration for both.

She accused the government of failing to feed the poor people despite the claims of strengthening the PDS system.

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