Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje wrote a letter to the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and urged to provide more assistance to the farmers who have been affected during the recent hailstorm and unseasoned rain by amending State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms and giving relaxation in it.

In her letter Smt. Raje urged Union Home Minister to set criterion for the agriculture input subsidy on the basis of actual damage to the crop due to hailstorm and unseasoned rain. She urged to determine assistance on the basis of actual damage to the livestock.

Smt. Raje in her letter said there is need to increase the limit of agriculture input subsidy under the SDRF rules so that farmers other than small and marginal farmers can get sufficient assistance. She also urged that the set limit of losss of number of animals and assistance must be increased in case of loss of the milch animals and draught animals.

The Chief Minister in her letter said many farmers and cattle breeders in the state have incured loss of more than one large animals and more than four small animals. Many of them have lost larger number of animals which includes 150 to 200 goat and sheep and under the current norms such cattle breeders will get assistance for only four animals for small milch animals like sheep and goat. She said for draught animals the limit has been set to provide assistance for only one large and two small animals in case of loss. This assistance is negligible for the cattle breeders, she said and asked for relaxation in the norms of limit for the number of animal.

Drawing attention of the Home Minister towards the widespread damage to the Rabi crop due to the hailstorm and unseasoned rain on first February, 1^st March and 12 to 15 March, Smt. Raje said it has affected 4,247 villages in the state. Crop has been damaged completely in many villages. Jeera, Isabgol, Wheat, Barley, Garlic, Corriandor, Mustard and Orange crop has incured huge loss, she said. Smt. Raje said that due to heavy rain and strike of lightning 25 human lives have been lost and a large number of animals have lost their lives. Around 5000 residential houses have been damaged, informed Smt. Raje in her letter.

Jaipur, 18 March 2015