Uttar Pradesh slow in realising extent of agrarian damage; Centre drags feet

LUCKNOW: The agrarian crisis has claimed dozens of lives in Uttar Pradesh while the state government flounders in providing relief to distressed farmers. The state government has acknowledged death of 99 farmers till April 13, including those who were struck by lightning, but field reports suggest that dozens more have died since then.

The opposition BJP in the state has claimed death of nearly 200 farmers due to the freak weather which saw unseasonal rains and hailstorms destroying crops in large swathes of the state. While the state government was slow in realising the extent of the crisis in which crop worth `6,677 crore is estimated to have been destroyed, the central government has dragged its feet in providing extra funds to the state for providing relief to farmers in distress.

Both the Centre and the state have been targeting each other for the failure.

The state government has blamed the Centre for giving just `253 crore for relief and compensation when the extent of the loss is many times more. Cheques of meagre compensation amount of as low as `75 and `125 have made a mockery of the entire relief exercise, according to farmers, who said that to further rub salt in their wounds, many such cheques also bounced.