Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik yesterday announced special financial packages for farmers, fishermen and students affected by Cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods that hit over ten million people in the state.
The government has decided to provide affected farmers a subsidy of Rs.4,500 per hectare for rain-fed areas, Rs.9,000 in assured irrigated areas and Rs.12,000 for all types of perennial crops restricted to sown areas, the office of the chief minister said in a statement.
Perennial crops include mango, cashew, coconut, kewra, betel vine.
The minimum assistance to any affected farmer will not be less than Rs.2,000, the statement said.
The government will provide the subsidy to cultivators who have suffered a 50 percent or more crop loss.
The statement said crop loans during the current Rabi season will be made available to the affected farmers at five percent interest which will be reduced to two percent in case of timely repayment.
"They will not be treated as defaulters for non-repayment of the existing loan", the statement said.
Short term crop loans advanced during Kharif 2013 will be converted to medium term loans repayable over three years in affected areas.
Four lakh pulses' kits and high quality vegetable seeds will be distributed to half a million farmers at 90 percent subsidy in the affected areas.
