Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal President and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik has extended financial assistance to the family of the Jagatsinghpur farmer who allegedly committed suicide after failing to bear the crop loss.
Keeping his promise, Naveen provided the financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to the family of the deceased farmer.
Naveen had visited the family of Krutibas Swain of Sarana village under Tandikula panchayat of the district on Tuesday.
During his visit, the BJD president had promised Swain’s family of providing assistance during this difficult hour.
On the direction of Naveen Patnaik, local MLA Sarada Jena handed the money to Swain’s wife.
Meanwhile, the LoP wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urging him to provide adequate compensation to the farmers for the crop loss caused by unseasonal rainfall in the state last month.
Naveen also stressed the need to issue timely advisories regarding important weather updates so that farmers can mitigate the damages caused by natural calamities.
“I reiterate that the Government of Odisha must take the plight of our farmers very seriously and order a proper inquiry followed by timely compensation. Also, the government advisory to farmers on weather updates should be given in a timely manner henceforth,” the BJD supremo said.
Notably, Naveen Patnaik visited Ganjam, Puri, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts on December 30 and 31, 2024. He met farmers who had suffered huge losses due to unseasonal rains in December.
In his letter, Naveen mentioned that the farmers and their families are in severe distress. The rains have caused extensive damage to both paddy and non-paddy crops during the harvesting period.
Naveen said that the farmers narrated their woes with a heavy heart during his recent visits to the affected districts. He asserted that this kind of situation has not happened in the recent past.
The BJD President called the alleged suicide of Swain for the crop loss due to untimely rainfall as deeply disturbing.