Govt to give diesel subsidy to drought-hit farmers: Pawar
Govt to give diesel subsidy to drought-hit farmers: Pawar
New Delhi: Food and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar today said the government will provide ₹ 500 crore to drought-hit West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand for extending a subsidy on diesel farmers use to power their water pump-sets.
“Every farmer will get ₹ 500 per hectare as diesel subsidy," Pawar said at a conference on the rabi crop season here, adding that the decision was taken by the government yesterday at a high-level meeting.
According to a presentation by agriculture commissioner Gurbachchan Singh, West Bengal received 16% less rainfall than normal between 1 June and 8 September, while Bihar and Jharkhand got 25% and 48% less rainfall, respectively, than normal, he said.
West Bengal has declared that 11 of its districts are drought-hit, while Bihar has given a similar status to 28 out of 38 districts. All 24 of Jharkhand’s districts have also been declared as drought-hit.
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