Haryana announces Rs 967 crore compensation to cotton farmers

CHANDIGARH: Cotton growers in Haryana will get Rs 967 crore as compensation for damage due to the whitefly and leaf curl virus attack during the 2015 kharif season.

More than half the compensation will go to farmers in the districts of Hisar and Sirsa.

While announcing the decision, Haryana Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Captain Abhimanyu said the compensation rates in the state are higher than those prescribed by the Centre.

He said Chief Minister Manohar Lal has given approval for the distribution of the compensation amount to the affected farmers of five districts through banks starting March 12.

Sirsa and Hisar have been allocated Rs 320 crore and Rs 229 crore, respectively. The other three districts where farmers will get compensation are Jind, Fatehabad and Bhiwani.