The compensation will be given from the State Disaster Response Fund. (Representational)
The Gujarat government on Friday announced a relief package of Rs 630.34 crore for farmers who suffered losses due to heavy rains this monsoon, the move coming ahead of Assembly polls likely to be held by the end of the year.
The relief package was cleared in the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel earlier in the day and is expected to benefit eight lakh farmers in 2,554 villages in 14 districts, officials said.
The package was announced after a loss-assessment survey was carried out in 14 districts: Chhotaudepur, Narmada, Panchmahal, Navsari, Valsad, Dang, Tapi, Surat, Kutch, Junagadh, Morbi, Porbandar, Anand and Kheda.
An official release said farmers, as part of the package, will get compensation of Rs 6,800 per hectare with a limit of two hectares if the crop loss (except banana plantation) was equal or above 33 per cent due to excessive rain during the previous Kharif season in the state.
"The compensation will be given from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and from the state budget. The compensation for the loss of banana plantation has been kept at 30,000 per hectare with a limit of two hectares," the release added.
The minimum compensation has been fixed at Rs 4,000, even if the crop loss is less than this amount, officials informed.
Affected farmers will have to submit online applications with all required details and documents through e-Gram centres in their villages, said the release.
Farmers are not required to pay any application fee or charges, it asserted.
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