Tripura govt sanctions Rs 22 cr for cyclone Midhili-affected farmers

Agartala (Tripura) [India], July 5 (ANI): The Tripura government has sanctioned Rs 22 crore for the farmers who suffered losses in cyclone Midhili, said state agriculture minister Ratan Lal Nath.

“In November 2023, under the influence of Cyclone Midhili, farmers suffered huge losses. All sorts of crops, such as paddy, vegetables, etc., got destroyed in fields,” Ratan Lal Nath told ANI.

“Following the cyclone, the agriculture department surveyed the state and forwarded our findings to the Revenue Department of Tripura. The department, after going through our reports, sanctioned funds worth Rs 22 crore, which are now being deposited directly into the bank accounts of the farmers,” he added.

He said that over 78,000 farmers in the state were affected by the cyclone Midhili.

To compensate for the losses incurred by the farmers, the state government has released Rs 22 crore through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer).

The minister also announced a hike in wages for agriculture laborers.

“This is an important announcement. In the fiscal year 2017-18, the wage for agriculture labourers stood at Rs 177. In the last six years after the BJP came to power in Tripura, wages were revised as many as six times. The total hike approved for people associated with this specific assignment increased by Rs 224. Recently, we have given another hike to wages, which will come into effect on July 1. The revised wage per person per day now stands at Rs 401,” he said.