Rajasthan Agri min seeks to declare locust menace a national disaster; demands insurance

In view of the crop loss due to locust attacks, Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria on Friday urged the Central government to declare the locust menace a national disaster for the benefit of farmers. In a video conference with the Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar, Kataria also demanded the Centre to release the first instalment of Government-sponsored schemes at the earliest.

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Informing about crop loss due to locusts in Rajasthan, Kataria asked the Agriculture Insurance Company to pay the outstanding insurance claim of Rs 380 crore to farmers as soon as possible. The minister said that the farmers have not received the entire first instalment of centrally-sponsored schemes for the year 2020-21 and demanded it to be released immediately for the benefit of farmers.

Earlier, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) MP from Rajasthan's Nagaur had also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to declare locust attack a national disaster and provide relief to the farmers.

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Locust control operation in Rajasthan

Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare informed on July 8 that it has carried out locust control operations in more than 2.75 lakh hectares area in various states amid the rise in locust menace in the country. The Ministry in its release said that Aerial spraying capacity for anti-locust operations has also been strengthened, along with a Bell helicopter deployed in Rajasthan. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has also conducted trials in anti-locust operations by using a Mi-17 helicopter.

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Five companies with 15 drones were also been deployed at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Phalodi in Rajasthan for locust control on tall trees and in inaccessible areas.

"In the intervening night of July 6 and 7, control operations were carried out at 22 places in 7 districts - Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Ajmer, Sikar and Jaipur of Rajasthan State and 1 place each in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh and Tikamgarh districts of Madhya Pradesh by LCOs.”

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(With inputs from agency)

(Image credits: PTI)