New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is all set to announce a huge relief package for the distressed farmers who have been hit by unseasonal rains, reports said on Wednesday.
Reports say that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre is expected to waive off the loans taken by farmers.
The relief money will be deposited directly into the bank accounts of farmers under the 'Jan Dhan Yojna'.
The farmers, who are in a pitiable condition, might also get interest free loans for crop harvesting.
Many farmers have committed suicide in different parts of the country after unseasonal rains damaged their crop.
Unseasonal storms have badly damaged the winter crop in large parts of the fertile northern plains and villagers have blamed the government for not stepping in to help the distressed farmers or ensuring that crop prices remain stable.
Unseasonal rains and hailstorms have affected crop in Bihar, Gujarat Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Food grains production in just-concluded fiscal (2014-15) is likely to be 257 million tonnes against the target of 261 million tonnes, resulting in a shortfall of four million tonnes, according to the agriculture ministry's second advanced estimates released here on Tuesday.
To provide relief to thousands of farmers affected by recent unseasonal rains in some state across the country, the central government is considering more norms for the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
This year, March has been the wettest month in more than a century, wrecking millions of hectares of winter crops.
