Agriculture crops cultivated in about 50.40 lakh hectare of area have been affected across the country due to heavy rains, floods and landslides so far this year, with maximum damage reported in Karnataka, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, said about Rs 8,873.60 crore has been released as of November 25 from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
Additional assistance, over and above SDRF, is considered by National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for natural calamities of severe nature and is approved based on the memorandum received from the state governments, he added.
As per the data placed before the Lower House, Karnataka has reported a crop damage in maximum area of 13.98 lakh hectare as of November 25, followed by West Bengal (6.90 lakh hectare), Rajasthan (6.79 lakh hectare), Bihar (5.80 lakh hectare), Maharashtra (4.55 lakh hectare) and Uttar Pradesh (3.61 lakh hectare).
On a question that if the Centre plans to waive loans of farmers in the affected districts, Mr Tomar said, "No sir."
He said the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) provides training to farmers on effective flood management in flood plains and flood-prone ecologies of India.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Banana Apocalypse Could Be Averted Thanks to Genetic Breakthrough No Impact Of High Temperatures On Wheat Crop Seen So Far: Minister India Exports Wheat Worth Rs 11,728.36 Crore During Apr-Jan This Fiscal "Intention To Dupe UPSC": Ex-IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar Denied Pre-Arrest Bail Send Sheikh Hasina Back To Dhaka, Bangladesh Writes To India Bangladeshi Traders "Forced" To Import From Pakistan Amid Growing Ties Centre Scraps 'No-Detention Policy' For Classes 5 And 8 Students How To Tax Popcorn? Government's GST Formula Sparks Debate Satellite Images, GPS, Fighter Jets: All About NORAD's Santa Tracker Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.