Chouhan writes to PM, seeks special package for farmers

Bhopal, Feb 6 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief MinisterShivraj Singh Chouhan has urged the Prime Minister ManmohanSingh to sanction a special package for the farmers in thestate, over and above what the Centre has already promised.

"Additional central assistance should be provided inview of the large-scale losses caused to the farmers (due tosevere cold conditions)," Chouhan has said in a letter sentto the Prime Minister yesterday.

"A memorandum seeking an assistance of Rs 2,442 crore hasalready been submitted to the centre," it said.

The Centre recently sanctioned Rs 224.60 crore under theState Disaster Relief Fund for Madhya Pradesh, but Chouhansays in the letter that a part of this amount was already dueto the state, under regular allocation of funds by the Centre.

"Obviously, the state has not received any additionalfinancial assistance as such," it goes on to say.

Chouhan had earlier threatened to go on a hunger strikein New Delhi if enough funds were not released.