In make up mode

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 12: The Odisha government today decided to disburse Rs 1,700 crore crop loans to the farmers during the upcoming rabi season.

The government has taken the decision to make up the crop loss because of drought and floods in the kharif season.

In a bid to boost agricultural activities, the government set a target for taking up rabi crop on 31.47 lakh hectares across Odisha.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting, chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik to review the rabi crop programme.

However, these moves were apparently made to woo the farmers, a major vote bank, ahead of the coming panchayat polls, scheduled to the held in February 2012.

The crop loan, earmarked for rabi cultivation, would be disbursed to nearly 15,900 farmers.

Last year, 13,000 farmers received the crop loan from cooperative banks.

The Odisha government has also extended the deadline for repayment of crop loans. A massive campaign will be launched to make the people aware about the loans to be advanced to the farmers to take up the agricultural activities.

“The backbone of the farmers has broken because of the floods last September. We will give them all sorts of help to take up the agricultural activities again to recover the loss,” said officials of the agriculture department.

The government also reviewed the distribution of manure and seeds to the farmers. The government directed the officials to take up renovation of the defunct lift irrigation points. Nearly 5,000 check dams will be set up to enhance the irrigation facilities.

“We have issued direction to build the check dams by the end of May 2012,” said a senior official of the water resources department.

Officials said nearly 3,000 check dams have already been constructed across Odisha. The check dams have mostly come up in the coastal belt.