During the recent monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, promised to compensate all farmers who had suffered damage to their freshly cultivated kharif crop due to the July deluge. Not only did Sawant make the promise to compensate the farmers but pledged to do it before 'Ganesh Chaturthi'.
This pledge to pay compensation to eligible farmers has left the agriculture department which over the last month has been stacked with applications from farmers seeking 'compensation' for damage to their kharif crop mostly (paddy) due to flooding of fields caused by July's 'extreme rainfall' phenomenon.
Now, Sawant has repeated the promise umpteen times, most recently on Friday when he told the media: "Everybody's 'chovoth' (Ganesh Chaturthi) will go well. Their compensation money for crop damaged by excessive rains will reach them before Chaturthi."
What then is the reality on ground zero? Will the CM's word be kept? The agriculture department is working overtime to make sure that it does.
Agriculture Director Sandeep Faldesai who occupied the hot seat just two months ago when he took over reins from his predecessor Neville Afonso who superannuated, says: "We will make sure that compensation is disbursed to the affected farmers before Ganesh Chaturthi.”
Clearly, Faldesai's comment reiterates the intent to indeed pay the farmers before September 7. But to do that, his subordinates, particularly the Zonal Agriculture Officers (ZAOs) who head the department's outreach in each taluka, may have to move mountains to ensure all the paperwork is in place.
Over 2,5K apply, claims
still pouring in
According to the agriculture department, its ZAOs have received over 2,500 applications for compensation claiming damage to their cultivated fields due to the rain from farmers from across the State. Worse, some claims continue to pour in.
"We keep getting calls from ministers and MLAs asking us to accept applications because farmers delayed for some reason or the other," one ZAO told The Goan.
Documenting these applications is only the beginning of the task before the ZAO. Each of these applications have to then be put through a standard process, which includes a site visit and actual assessment of the damage caused to the standing crop.
ZAOs themselves conduct this process in some cases and the rest are handled by the field assistants from the ZAO. And, once this process is completed, the ZAOs compile reports to accompany each claim forwarded to the headquarters before the Directorate of Accounts cell scrutinises them and eventually accepts or rejects the payment of compensation.
Only then is there an all clear to actually disburse the compensation.
Farmers sans 'krishi
cards' also to be paid
The Agriculture Department's scheme for compensation to farmers for crop damage due to weather calamities requires the beneficiary farmer to be a 'krishi card' holder.
However, among the applicants there are several who do not possess a 'krishi card' since they are not 'owners' of the land they farm. The government, therefore, intends to pay compensation to these applicants as well and has modified the scheme to do it.
Initially, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said in the legislative assembly that such farmers who do not have a 'krishi card' will be paid the compensation through the CM's Relief Fund. However, while speaking to the media on Friday, the chief minister said these claims will be taken care of by the department itself, for which the scheme -- ‘Shetkari Aadhar Nidhi’ -- , has been modified.
Dept sets aside
Rs 4 crore
Faldesai, meanwhile, said that the total compensation that the department will pay out to these 2,500-odd farmers is working out to approximately Rs 3.5 crore and the funds have been set aside for it.
"We will ensure that the compensation is paid before Ganesh Chaturthi,” asserted Faldesai, for whom successful execution of the payouts to farmers is proving to be his first litmus test since becoming Director two months ago. Will he pass this test? He will, only if the money is actually paid out to the farmers by September 7.
