ZCZC
BSS-02
FLOOD-SUPPORT-RELIEF (with picture)
Around 9.81 lakh people get govt relief in Rajshahi division
RAJSHAHI, Sept 20, 2020 (BSS)- Around 2.18 lakh families consisting of around 9.81 lakh people affected badly by the flood have, so far, received relief materials to overcome their livelihood related hardships caused by the natural disaster in different districts of Rajshahi division.
The government, as part of its instant humanitarian assistance to cope with the catastrophic situation, has, so far, allocated 1,521.14 tonnes of rice, Taka 39.02 lakh in cash, 16,980 packets of dry-food, Taka 21 lakh for baby food and Taka 40 lakh for animal feed.
Moinul Islam, Additional Commissioner of Rajshahi division, said distribution of the allocated relief materials among the affected families in the division is in the final stage.
Apart from this, 2,238.5 tonnes of rice, Taka 35.87 lakh, 3,620 packets of dry food, Taka three lakh for baby food and Taka five lakh for animal feed remain in stock for distribution.
Islam said sixty-four unions in Sirajganj, 24 in Bogura and 19 each in Pabna, Naogaon and Natore districts are the worst affected ones.
Besides, standing crops on around 52,983 hectares of croplands worth around Taka 477.29 crore have been damaged by the floodwaters affecting over 3.75 lakh farming families in the division.
Various standing crops like newly transplanted aush and aman paddy, aman seedbeds, direct seeded aman, vegetables, maize and green chili were affected by the floodwater.
Particularly, the deluge has affected aush paddy on 11,433 hectares, aman seedbeds on 1,068 hectares, transplanted aman on 1,007 hectares and vegetables on 3,638 hectares of land.
In Sirajganj district, crops on 23,365 hectares of lands were affected followed by 7,555 hectares in Bogura, 3,958 hectares in Pabna, 2,718 hectares in Naogaon, 2,000 hectares in Rajshahi, 1,480 hectares in Chapainawabganj and 1,406 hectares in Natore districts.
Meanwhile, around 1.18 lakh small and marginal farmers have been selected for providing agriculture incentives worth more than Taka 12.21 crore to recoup their losses caused by the recent flood in all eight districts of Rajshahi division. Respective offices of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) have already started implementing the scheduled incentive works with close monitoring and surveillance so that the targeted farmers can recoup their losses after the best uses of the incentives.
DAE Additional Director Sudhendra Nath Roy said a target has been set to establish around 18,000 vegetable nutrition gardens under the family agriculture programme during the current Kharif-1 season.
Around Taka 4.73 crore has been allocated for boosting the nutritive vegetables. Each of 17,984 farmers will get Taka 2,673 as incentives for seed, organic fertilizer, fencing, nursing and signboard for cultivating vegetables on one bigha of land. Around Taka 1.66 crore has been earmarked for cultivating black gram on 11,200 bigha of land to recoup the flood losses.
More than 34,700 farmers will get seeds of various vegetables free of cost under the government’s short and long term agriculture incentive programme for the small and marginal farmers to recoup their flood losses.
Around Taka 2.41 crore were allocated for the purposes. “Besides, we have already distributed vegetable seedlings among 16,190 farmers in Rajshahi, Naogaon, Natore and Chapainawabgonj districts through motivation,” Sudhen Roy added.
Seedbeds on 2,904 hectares of more lands were set up compared to the target for vegetable farming. The DAE has also adopted special measures for boosting seedling production of transplanted Aman paddy through alternative ways aimed at recouping the losses caused by flood.
Seedlings of transplanted aman paddy were distributed among around 6,000 farmers free of cost for making the aman farming easy. For the purpose, community seedbeds on 85 acres of land and 400 floating seedbeds have been developed besides growing seedlings on 6, 204 trays in the flood affected areas.
Around 27 tonnes of seeds of various high yielding paddy varieties like BR22, BR23, BR34, BR71, BINA7 and Chiniatab were used in the seedbeds with close supervision and monitoring by the DAE officials.
BSS/AH/MR/MMA/1111HRS