Bhubaneswar, Jan 2 Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly and former CM Naveen Patnaik on Thursday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urging him to provide adequate compensation to the farmers for the crop loss caused by unseasonal rainfall in the state last month.
Patnaik also stressed the need to issue timely advisories regarding important weather updates so that farmers can mitigate the damages caused by natural calamities.
"I reiterate that the Government of Odisha must take the plight of our farmers very seriously and order a proper inquiry followed by timely compensation. Also, the government advisory to farmers on weather updates should be given in a timely manner henceforth," wrote the BJD supremo.
Notably, Patnaik visited Ganjam, Puri, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts on December 30 and 31, 2024. He met farmers who had suffered huge losses due to unseasonal rains in December.
The former CM in his letter mentioned that the farmers and their families are in severe distress. The rains have caused extensive damage to both paddy and non-paddy crops during the harvesting period.
He also mentioned meeting the family members of Krutibas Swain, a young farmer of Balikuda Block, who allegedly committed suicide on December 30 after failing to bear the crop loss, during his visit to Jagatsinghpur district.
He called the alleged suicide of Swain for the crop loss due to untimely rainfall as deeply disturbing.
Patnaik said that the farmers narrated their woes with a heavy heart during his recent visits to the affected districts. He asserted that this kind of situation has not happened in the recent past.
The farmers of Odisha and their families have faced a huge calamity. Their confidence is shattered.
"In the present circumstances, I would like to demand that the government must work hard and provide timely and adequate compensation so as to boost the confidence of farmers," added Patnaik.
They stated that they were not aware about the intensity of rains as the government advisory was not issued on time. Besides, at many places the survey of crop damage has not yet been done, alleged former CM Patnaik.
Emphasising on the party’s special category state demand, the veteran leader said that today, had Odisha been a special category state, the farmers' families would have benefited immensely with additional support and their broken confidence would have been restored in a timely manner.
"This is the reason why BJD has been demanding and will continue to demand special category status for Odisha," wrote the LoP.
It is pertinent here to mention that CM Majhi, Deputy CMs KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari have also visited several districts on Sunday to take stock of the damages to different crops due to the unseasonal rainfall.
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