Unseasonal rains damage 51-69% crops in Uttarakhand: Govt

Unseasonal rains and hailstorms have damaged 51 to 69 per cent of crops across Uttarakhand this year.

Dehradun: Unseasonal rains and hailstorms have damaged 51 to 69 per cent of crops across Uttarakhand this year.

Giving this information here today, Chief Minister Harish Rawat's media in charge Surendra Kumar said, Haridwar suffered heavy losses with 69 per cent of crops damaged by inclement weather in the district.

63 per cent of the crops have been damaged in Udhamsingh Nagar district, he said citing a government report which will soon be sent to the Centre.

In view of damages caused to crops in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Harish Rawat has already offered relief to farmers by ordering a six-month moratorium on recovery of revenue and irrigation dues from them and exempting them from payment of electricity surcharge and interest on cooperative bank loans for the next six months yesterday.

All recoveries from farmers have been put off for the next six months from April 1 to September 30.

The state government will pay the interest on cooperative loans taken by farmers and electricity surcharge for the period, an official release here said.

The Central government has also been requested to exempt farmers of the state from repaying their loans taken from commercial banks and government institutions for the next six months in view of the damages caused to their crops by unseasonal rains.  

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