Will rebuild 5,000 houses in flood-hit areas, says Chouhan

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Friday assured immediate financial assistance for the 5,000 homes damaged during the recent rains and floods in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Minister also announced compensation for farmers whose domestic animals perished in the floods. “As reported by the J&K administration, around 5,000 houses have been damaged. These homes will be rebuilt, and I will immediately approve the required financial assistance,” he said.

Upon arrival, Chouhan first visited the affected fields to assess damage to standing crops. Later, he addressed a large gathering of flood victims, including farmers, at Badyal Brahmana. He emphasised that the Central Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stands firmly with the people of Jammu and Kashmir during this crisis.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Chouhan announced that Rs 1.30 lakh would be provided for the construction for each house, with a separate toilet. He further assured that 7,000 farmers would receive their crop insurance payouts after the ongoing survey is completed. A central team, he said, will coordinate with insurance companies to ensure full implementation.

In addition to the relief package, Chouhan announced compensation for vegetable crop losses at the rate of Rs 17,000 per hectare, to be provided by the Union Territory government under the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) norms.

Similarly, he said, if cows and buffaloes have been swept away in the flood, then for milch animals there is a provision of Rs 37,000 per animal as compensation. If there are horses and oxen, then there is a provision of Rs 32,000 as compensation, he added.

Chouhan stated that teams from the Ministries of Home Affairs, Jal Shakti, Rural Development and Agriculture have already surveyed the flood-affected areas. These teams will submit their reports as the damage assessment continues. “Once the state government submits its memorandum, the Centre will leave no stone unturned in providing relief,” he added.

Following his visit to Badyal Brahmana, Chouhan returned to Jammu city, where he chaired a review meeting with the J&K government. Later, addressing the media, he announced a slew of relief measures.

Among them, he declared that one installment under PM-Kisan would be immediately released to affected farmers. He also announced an additional 50 man-days under MGNREGA for flood-hit workers, increasing their entitlement to 150 days, up from the standard 100 days, in light of the natural disaster.

Chouhan also suggested that the sand deposited in fields due to flooding should be utilised by the farmers themselves. He urged the J&K Mining Department to relax rules to allow this.

The Agriculture Minister said J&K government has about Rs 2,499 crore available for disaster management, which will be utilised for the relief works.