Crop Damage: Odisha CM puts Ball in Centre’s Court

Insight Bureau:  While the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is in Odisha to assess the pest menace and drought situation in the State, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sought his intervention to keep interest rate on Medium Term (Conversion) loans at par with the crop loans and extend the interest incentive of 3% admissible on crop loans to the Medium term loans.

In order to help the farming community suffering the crop loss due to pest attack and drought like situation in various parts of the State, Patnaik requested the Union Government to extend the interest rate.