Bhubaneswar: Badly hit by the farmers suicide and farmers burning of crops, the Odisha government Monday announced a package for the pest affected areas of the state.

“The government has taken proactive action for the protection of the interest of the farmers. It will continue to work with a dedicated manner to mitigate the difficulties experienced by the farmers in the pest affected areas,” said the chief secretary AP Padhi while announcing the package after the agriculture cabinet which met on Monday to finalize the package.

The package includes:

  1. Agriculture input subsidy of Rs 6800 per hectare for rain fed area and Rs13,500 for assured irrigated areas will be provided to the farmers.
  2. Farmers will be 75% subsidy for purchase of pesticides.
  3. About 10,000 sprayers would be supplied to farmers at 50% subsidy .
  4. Over 50,000 landless, marginal and small farmers would be assisted to have backyard poultry farms as their livelihood.
  5. Farmers would be supplied with 1 lakh seed mini kits and demonstration kits comprising of paddy, pulses and oilseeds, and 50,000 vegetable kits for Rabi programme.
  6. Farmers would be supplied 5000 pump sets at 50% subsidy.
  7. Joint Liability Group to be formed to extend bank credit to the share croppers/ oral lessees
  8. Fresh finance would provided to the farmers for Rabi season which has started from October 1, 2017
  9. Short term crop loan would be converted into medium term loans in areas where the crop loss is above 33%.
  10. Government of India will be requested to provide interest incentives of 3%  on the converted loans.
  11. Collectors and police SP would have the responsibility of checking harassment by money lenders.
  12. Lift Irrigation Corporation would make all the LI points functional.
  13. MNREGA works will be taken up to establish water harvesting structure/ desilting of field channels and diversion weirs
  14. There would be 50% remission in respect of cess on land revenue, and arrears collections will be deferred to next year without levying any interest.
  15. Collection of water rent has been waived off for the current year.
  16. Tution fees and examination fees in government schools and colleges shall be waived off.
  17. The government has taken proactive action for the protection of the interest of the farmers. It will continue to work with a dedicated manner to mitigate the difficulties experienced by the farmers in the pest affected areas.