Central team headed by Nitin Gadkari visits UP to assess crop damage

Lucknow: A high-level central team headed by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari arrived in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday to visit certain parts of the state where farmers have suffered massive crop loss because of untimely rain and hailstorm. [caption id=“attachment_2188485” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A central team headed by Nitin Gadkari went to UP to assess crop damage. PTI[/caption] The team, whose other members included Union Minister of State Ram Kripal Yadav, will visit Agra, Aligarh, and Meerut to take first hand information of the plight of farmers. “The central team will survey the losses incurred by farmers due to untimely rain so that help could be provided to them at the earliest,” Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav told reporters here after a meeting of the state cabinet, which also discussed the issue. “…report is also being sought from the district administration for expediting relief to farmers,” Yadav said. “So far Rs 44 crore has been provided by the Centre and we have sanctioned Rs 200 crore from the contingency fund…,” he said, adding that ministers incharge have been asked to personally go in the area and give their inputs. “Peoples representatives of all the parties should help in providing relief to farmers,” he said. Stating that the issue of farmers’ loss was discussed in the cabinet meeting, he said funds for farmers have reached the districts and efforts are on to ensure that it is given to them on the spot instead of through the RTGS. He said Mathura was worst hit and hoped that the central team submitted its report at the earliest. “The government has already announced help of Rs 7 lakh in the case of farmers’ death and we want to provide it soon on getting the reports,” the chief minister said. He said a decision was also taken for buying fertilizer and providing other facilities to farmers for which funds will be made available. Giving details of other decisions taken in the meeting, the chief minister said construction on the bridge over Yamuna on Chaprauli-Badaut road in Baghpat district linking Uttar Pradesh with Haryana will be started soon with the help of loan. “Green Park stadium in Kanpur is very old and it is a historical stadium where international matches have not been played in the recent past and now we are entering into an MoU with the UP Cricket Association so that matches can be held there. “Our effort will be that in Kanpur as well as new stadiums of international level coming up in the state get international matches and IPL matches for which an MoU will be signed soon,” he said. According to Minister for Secondary Education Mehboob Ali, the government has agreed to increase the evaluation rates of Uttar Pradesh Board answer sheets to end the stalemate over it. The central team, led by Gadkari, visited Achnera, about 30km from Agra. While interacting with farmers at Aruakhas village, Gadkari assured them that the Centre would compensate the farmers affected by untimely rain. He said farmers should open accounts in banks so that the monetary help could be sent directly to them. Gadkari said the state government had been asked to present a detailed report at the earliest so that the quantum of help could be decided. Meanwhile, in Bastora Narangpur in Meerut district, Gadkari urged the farmers against taking any extreme step disappointed over crop loss and assured them that the Narendra Modi government was behind them and would continue to support them. He was addressing a farmers’ meet organised by the party at the village. He also advised to cultivate such crops which were not produced widely in the country and were being imported. He also exhorted them to adopt scientific farming practices. On the land Bill, the Union minister claimed that deliberate attempts were being made to mislead farmers on the issue. He said that the Bill was designed to ensure the welfare of farmers. PTI