Odisha To Aid Farmers Hit By Cyclone Michaung, AIS To Be Provided For 33% Or Higher Crop Loss

Bhubaneswar: The Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) of Odisha on Wednesday asked all District Collectors to submit reports on crop damage caused by Cyclone ‘Michaung.’ Recent widespread rain in the state, influenced by the cyclone, may have affected standing Kharif and horticulture crops. In response, Agricultural Input Subsidy (AIS) will be provided to farmers experiencing a 33% or higher crop loss, following State Disaster Response Fund norms.

SRC Satyabrata Sahu emphasized conducting field-level crop loss assessments through joint inquiries by the Revenue & Disaster Management and Agriculture & Farmer Empowerment departments. The deadline for submitting ULB/Block/GP/Village-wise reports is December 12, 2023. Collectors are urged to verify affected farmers’ land schedules/Records of Rights (RoRs) from Bhulekh during the assessment. Approval for crop loss and fund disbursement requests for AIS will be based on the verified extent of damage.

The SRC emphasized the importance of geo-tagged, time-stamped photographs of damaged crop areas during assessment, to be preserved in Case Records. Supervising Officers will conduct test checks to ensure assessment accuracy, appending a certificate to the damage reports submitted to District Collectors.

The SRC clarified that crop loss or areas previously reported as affected by floods and heavy rain in the current year should not be included in the current assessment. District Collectors are requested to submit soft copies of the information in Excel format to [email protected].