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Gandhinagar, Nov 7 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday announced the state’s biggest ever aid package of Rs 10,000 crore, government officials said.
This step has been taken as part of the state government’s continued commitment to stand with its farmers during natural disasters and ensure their recovery.
The Chief Minister’s decision ensures equal compensation for both irrigated and non-irrigated crops – a first in the history of the state.
Under this relief package, the state government will provide assistance of Rs 22,000 per hectare to farmers facing crop loss due to irregular weather conditions, up to a maximum of two hectares.
Over the past week, more than 5,100 survey teams assessed crop damage in 16,500 villages in 251 talukas spread across 33 districts.
The Chief Minister personally directed that these surveys be completed within three days, indicating the urgency and commitment of the State Government to expedite relief measures.
Following instructions from Chief Minister Patel, cabinet ministers and senior officials were deployed to the worst-affected areas to assess the ground situation.
Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghvi visited Surat district, Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani inspected Bhavnagar, while other ministers including Naresh Patel, Arjun Modhwadia, Pradyumna Waza and Kaushik Vekaria reviewed the damage in tribal and coastal areas like Tapi, Junagadh, Gir Somnath and Amreli.
The Chief Minister himself visited parts of Gir Somnath and Junagadh, met the affected farmers, heard their grievances and assured them of full government support.
A high-level meeting chaired by CM Patel attended by ministers Jitu Vaghani, Rushikesh Patel, Kunwarji Bavaliya, Arjun Modhwadia and Raman Solanki finalized the Rs 10,000 crore aid package after reviewing all the reports.
Finance Minister Kanu Desai and Deputy CM Harsh Shanghvi also joined the discussion through video conference.
The Chief Minister emphasized that this package reflects the state’s unwavering sympathy and solidarity towards its farmers, who are the backbone of Gujarat’s economy.
This assistance will provide timely financial assistance to farmers to help them rebuild and stabilize their livelihoods following widespread crop damage, he said.
–IANS
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