Gwalior, Feb 4 (IANS) Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia during a visit to Madhya Pradesh’s Ashoknagar district on Wednesday, interacted with farmers whose crops were destroyed by the recent hailstorm and assured them of the full cooperation from the state government.

The Union Minister carried out an inspection in the Nalkheda area in Ashoknagar, which comes under the Guna Lok Sabha constituency, where standing crops were badly damaged and listened to the plight of affected farmers.

He assured them that the state government shares their sorrow and will not leave them alone in this time of crisis.

Union Minister Scindia, who was accompanied by local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and revenue officials, instructed district administration to conduct an immediate survey of the affected areas to assess the actual damage and provide prompt relief and compensation to eligible farmers.

He said that disaster (hailstorm) was not just a loss of crops, but a severe blow to the farmers’ hard work and hope, therefore, the administration must ensure that assistance process should be transparent, simple, and time-bound, so that farmers do not have to make unnecessary visits to government offices.

“This natural calamity is a devastating blow to the hard work, hopes, and year-long efforts of our farmers. I visited the fields, inspected the damaged crops, interacted with the farmers to assess the ground situation, and gave clear instructions to the administration to ensure immediate relief, surveys, and compensation,” Union Minister Scindia added.

He noted the government’s unwavering support for farmers, reaffirming commitments under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s leadership.

The Union Minister stressed the aim to provide timely and effective assistance to those facing this natural disaster.

Chief Minister Yadav, on Wednesday, directed officials to assess crop damage due to untimely rainfall and instructed district administrations to make all efforts to protect farmers from losses caused by unseasonal rainfall.

Unseasonal rainfall with hailstorm has destroyed standing crops in several parts of Madhya Pradesh, following Chief Minister Yadav has ordered district administration across the state to conduct a physical survey to provide compensation to the affected farmers.

–IANS

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