BHOPAL: At the time when Madhya Pradesh government emphasising on making agriculture as business of profit, adding insult to injury, several rain-hit farmers in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh received paltry aid of Rs 35 as compensation for crop loss.
Thousands of farmers in the district are reeling under severe debt due to crop losses and majority of them anticipated sizable compensation for their crop loss, but they have received big jolt recently when many of them handed a paltry sum as compensation.
It is to be mentioned that Madhya Pradesh is one state which buck the trend and where agriculture and allied activities have clocked growth rates of 20% or more in the past few years.
However, things are not equally good for farmers from these two districts in the state and several farmers reportedly received a cheque of amount ranging from Rs 35 to Rs 3,750 for crop loss in 2013.
"Is government is making fun of famers? Selling the crops feeds my family. I also have to spend on medicines and school fees of children but what will I do with Rs 35," said Khushram Meena, a farmer from Morwan and its neigbouring villages in Mandsaur district.
Government has issued compensation for the damage to his soybean crop in 2013.
"My standing crop has been damaged due to hail-storm and unseasonal rains and after waiting for three-and-a-half year, finally I got the amount which is not enough to feed one time meal to my family,” he said.