By IANS,
Mumbai : The Maharashtra government is mulling a proposal to consider damage to crops due to heat or cold wave conditions as a loss due to ‘natural disaster’ as it will enable “affected farmers secure compensation for the losses”.
At present, crop losses arising out of extreme heat or cold wave conditions are not categorised as a loss due to natural calamity, depriving thousands of farmers opportunity to claim compensation.
“We shall take a review of this to see how it can fit into the rules for compensation,” state Industry Minister Narayan Rane informed the state assembly here Wednesday.
He was replying to the issue raised by Sudhir Mungantiwar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other members from both the ruling and opposition parties.
They informed the government that a few legislators had also gone on a day’s hunger strike outside the Maharashtra legislature building to highlight the problems of farmers who suffered huge losses due to crop damage in extreme cold conditions in Vidharbha.
While admitting that such losses were not within the ambit of the rules governing compensation, Rane said the government would consider making suitable amendments.
Maharashtra has legal provisions to compensate losses arising out of floods or drought situation, but not due to heat or cold waves.