R S Pura, Sept 19: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday visited flood-hit farms in the Basmati-rich R S Pura border area of Jammu and Kashmir and assured the affected farmers that with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s blessings, the central and state governments would take all necessary steps to restore their livelihoods and bring them out of this disaster.
Thousands of hectares of land in Jammu, particularly in R S Pura area, were badly affected due to floods triggered by heavy rains at the end of August.
“I have come here to tell you that the central government, together with the state government and with the blessings of the prime minister, will pull the farmers out of this disaster. Your pain is our pain, your suffering is our suffering,” Chouhan told farmers in Gram Badyal Brahmin in R S Pura.
Flanked by a high-level team of his ministry, Chouhan went from one area to another to inspect the crops and fields in the border belt and said, “I have come to say, do not shed tears. Whenever there were tears in your eyes, we too were pained.
“We will work hard together again. Not only Rajnath Ji or Amit Ji have come, but the teams of the central government have also reached out to you here.”
Asserting that he had come to share their pain, the minister said, “I have not come here as a minister to meet you formally. I have come as a humble servant. When a farmer’s crop is destroyed, it is not only the crop that is lost but his future and his children’s future too. We will pull you out of this disaster.”
Chouhan, who inspected fields where sand deposits had flattened standing crops, said teams from the Centre and the state had carried out surveys and would submit reports to determine losses. “We saw fields covered with layers of sand where crops once waved — vegetables, basmati, maize — everything has been buried,” he said.
“You can understand the concern of the prime minister. You know what he feels for you. Many ministers have already come here; recently Rajnath Singh Ji and Amit Shah Ji also came, and today, as the Agriculture Minister, I have come before you,” he said.
The minister said the Centre would not spare any effort to provide relief once assessment reports from central teams were received.
The team of the central government, which included officers from all departments, has come here and conducted a survey, he said, adding, “After conducting the survey, the team will give its report. The state government’s own report will also come. The assessment of losses is ongoing.”
He further added that after the report comes, the central government will leave no stone unturned in providing relief, because Jammu and Kashmir is the forehead of this country. “We will fight the trouble and bring you out of this crisis.”
He maintained that there are some tasks which the state government has to do, and in times of disaster, politics should not be done. “Our first task will be to take the farmers out of this trouble and restore their normal lives,” he added.
The Union minister said that the state government must decide that wherever sand has been deposited in people’s fields, that sand should be given to the person owning that land. “I will also discuss this with the chief minister. The sand should be given to the farmer himself, so that the farmer can sell it or remove it and once again make the land cultivable.”
Chouhan noted that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has provisions to remove sand and the Centre would coordinate with the state to implement that plan.
He also said he would discuss the matter with the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and other state officials to fast-track relief measures.
Acknowledging immediate relief already announced by the state, Chouhan said he was aware that the chief minister had released Rs 10 crore as prompt aid. He added that the state also had schemes and funds — amounting to Rs 2,499 crore as mentioned by authorities — which could be tapped for rehabilitation.
“I salute the people of Jammu and Kashmir. No one left any shortcomings in giving help.
“Some brought food, some brought blankets, some brought other things, and they all gave great help,” he said.
During the visit to Gram Badyal Brahmin, Chouhan repeatedly urged farmers not to lose hope and stressed that both governments were working together to address the damage to crops and farmland caused by the recent floods and sand deposition.
