Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], November 13 : Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, with deep sensitivity, stood firmly with farmers affected by the recent unprecedented unseasonal rains in the state and announced a historic relief package. Under this generous package, Rs 9,815 crore has been allocated to compensate farmers for the damage to their crops, a release said.
Agriculture Minister Jitubhai Vaghani expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Chief Minister for standing by the farmers during the disaster and announcing this generous relief package.
Furthermore, Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani lauded the farmer-focused approach of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who, under his guidance, completed the entire administrative process -- from damage surveys and panch rojkam to direct meetings with farmers in affected districts and high-level discussions with the Agriculture, Revenue, Finance, and other relevant departments -- within just one week, culminating in the announcement and approval of the relief package.
He also expressed gratitude on behalf of the farmers for Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's compassionate decision to provide a total relief package of Rs 11,137 crore to farmers across the state affected by disasters. The package includes assistance of Rs 22,000 per hectare, up to two hectares, on an equal basis for both irrigated and non-irrigated crops, for those impacted by the earlier unseasonal rains in five districts, including Vav-Tharad in Banaskantha.
Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani, while announcing the approval of the relief package by the state government's Agriculture Department under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, stated that the online portal will be open for 15 days from 12 noon on Friday, 14th November, allowing farmers to avail the benefits of the package.
Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani stated that farmers can avail the benefits of the agricultural relief package by submitting their online applications through Gram Panchayat VCEs/VLEs via the Agriculture Relief Package (KRP) portal.
He further added that eligible farmers must submit their applications through VCEs/VLEs, along with the requisite supporting documents, as per the prescribed guidelines.
Farmers can submit their online applications free of charge.
Under this package, the assistance will be directly transferred to the beneficiary farmers' bank accounts via PFMS/RTGS under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
Over 16,500 villages will be mapped on the online application portal for this purpose.
Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani stated that applications from eligible farmers will be verified upon receipt, and assistance will be disbursed immediately. He added that the state government is open to extending the portal's application period if needed.