Mukerjee Sharma
The untimely prolonged recent rain has really caused unimaginable damage to the crops. Infact it is the furry and flurry of nature which has created disaster in Jammu region. There is huge and hefty damage to the crops with the result the farmers crops are ransacked and all their hopes are shattered and dashed to the ground as the damage is more than 60%. Due to this farmers are in distress, dejected and in pensive mode. Not only that these rains have delayed sowing of wheat, mustard and other crops and will hamper the productivity of these crops even if they are sown with all efforts of the farmers. Power NGO connected a survey and interacted with the farmers and it is painful to know that it is really a great damage to their crops and happened so in the history of 40-50 years also. Earlier there used to be drought due to the prolonged dry spell, but this time the excessive rains became the cause of such a catastrophe. The problem is further multiplied because there occurred an acute shortage of labour as the labour from the other parts of the country did not arrive after the labour left the valley after the Government instructions. Secondly, traders are showing cold shoulder in purchasing the stained grains and moreover there are no suitable facilities of mandis on the pattern of Punjab and other states for the procurement of food grains through Food Corporation of India; leaving the people at the mercy of local purchasers. These people have their personal interest at the first instance and it is rightly so. Thirdly due to the change of construction design of buildings in the rural areas the farmers have no place to dump up the grains in their household. The situation is so precarious that the crops and grains are floating in the water filled field and farmers are haplessly, hopelessly, helplessly and despondently mulling over their plight but find no way out. The tragedy is that the people sitting in the higher echelons have no inkling about the extent of damage and fate of the poor farmers. It is really shocking to know that the unconcerned and recalcitrant attitude of the authorities at a time when the food producer (aan daata) is in deep trouble.
Since the economy of the Jammu region mainly revolves around agriculture and agriculture-based activities so this disaster has really crippled the economy of the whole region and will have a long everlasting impact, and uncertainty in the society. The situation will really affect other activities i.e. business centres, producing building material sector, educational institutions, marriage related business and hence all this will adversely affect the GDP of the area which is already plummeting rapidly all over the country. It will also discourage the farmer to invest more in their farmlands and increase migration to cities and other places to eke out their livelihood, which will further increase the pressure on the cities as well as on the ecology and environment besides increased unemployment.
What need to be done?
The very first thing that needs to be done by the Government shows a serious concern to the plight of the farmers at this juncture. The Government should immediately order special survey (girdawari) and access the actual damage occurred to the individual farmer for providing relief/compensation. It is otherwise mandatory to declare the area affected due to disaster on the pattern of Maharashtra and other states were such type of huge damage by the untimely rains has caused/ destroyed farmers crops. Since agriculture is a state/UT subject so state’s/UT’s are responsible for providing relief/compensation in such situation. The Centre Government has kept a provision to provide sufficient amount to all the States/UTs and it has to be in case of UT of Jammu and Kashmir too under National Disaster Response Fund for natural calamities of severe nature on the basis of the memorandum received from the State/UT Government, in regards with established procedure. The State Government has to provide the assistance under the State Disaster Relief Fund as a relief/compensation. Narendra Modi the Prime Minister has promised higher compensation in case of the damage caused to the crops by /unseasonal rains. He has further come to the rescue of the farmers by decreasing the previous criteria of 50% of damage to 33% to declare a damage caused by disaster. The Government of India has also evolved several schemes/programs to address the need for mitigating such damages to the farmers under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishan Sinchayee Yojana, besides implantation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and National Agriculture Market Scheme, etc for protecting farmers’ interests. The State has been given flexibility by RKVY to plan region specific intervention for the farmers. All these things are now easily possible after the abrogation of Article 370 and hence full merger of the UT Jammu & Kashmir with the country. The other things that need to be done are to wave of farmers loan; to provide money on zero interest for purchasing seed and fertilizer for sowing Rabi crops and provide free ration or subsidized ration to facilitate the farmer in running their home and hearth. The farmers are backbone of our economy, let’s extend a helping hand to him to deal with this disaster that will be beneficial to all of us.
(The author is former Add. Principal Chief Conservator of Forest)
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