Leader of Opposition in Odisha and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi seeking adequate compensation for farmers who lost their crops to unseasonal rainfall in December.
In his letter, Patnaik highlighted the need for timely weather advisories to be issued so that farmers can minimize damage from natural calamities. He said, "The Government of Odisha must take the plight of our farmers very seriously and order a proper inquiry followed by timely compensation. Additionally, timely government advisories on weather updates should be provided henceforth."
Patnaik met the farmers during his visits to Ganjam, Puri, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapara districts on December 30 and 31, 2024. They complained of immense losses caused by the untimely rains. He emphasized that the rains had caused massive damage to both paddy and non-paddy crops at the crucial harvesting time.
Patnaik recalled one of the most tragic incidents with Krutibas Swain, a young farmer from Balikuda Block, who, according to him, had allegedly committed suicide on December 30 due to crop loss. He termed the suicide as "deeply disturbing" and reflective of the despair of the farmers.
The former CM said the farmers expressed their sorrow and concern during his recent visits, stating that such a situation had not been witnessed in recent history. He said, "The farmers of Odisha and their families have faced a huge calamity. Their confidence is shattered."
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Patnaik called for quick government action to restore farmers' confidence in giving them timely and adequate compensation. He said most farmers were not aware of the intensity of the rain as there were no urgent advisories from the government and then crop damage surveys were not conducted in several places.
He stressed the demand for special category status for Odisha, "Had the state been declared as special category state, farmers would have received all that much support in addition and this would have helped restore confidence in them," he said and added that BJD would continue to raise its voice for it.
Reacting to BJD Naveen Patnaik's letter, BJP MP Balabhadra Majhi stated, "Patnaik should have addressed these issues during his time as Chief Minister. Previously, paddy often rotted in mandis due to inadequate infrastructure."
He added, "I don't understand why the BJD is anxious in just six months after elections. They have no chance of returning to power. The government will compensate all affected farmers. Why is Naveen Patnaik concerned about the situation now?"
Besides that, CM Majhi along with Deputy CMs KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida and Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, on Sunday, had inspected some of the affected districts due to unseasonal rain.