category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU Chandigarh Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday said an amount of Rs 181 crore has been released to the farmers who have suffered rabi crop damage due to unseasonal rains. The chief minister has transferred this compensation directly into the accounts of the farmers through e-Kshatipurti portal, according to an official statement. The crops had been damaged due to unseasonal rains in the state in March-April this year. Recently, Khattar conducted a whirlwind tour of the rain-hit villages to assess the damage to crops due to rain. We had conducted a special survey of crop damage, according to which the damage was reported in 2.09 lakh acres in 18 districts. Today, an amount of Rs 181 crore has been released as compensation to 67,758 farmers for wheat, mustard and rapeseed crops, Khattar said after digitally releasing the compensation amount to the farmers here. Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister J P Dalal also remained present on this occasion. The Deputy Commissioners also attended the programme through video conferencing, as per the statement. The chief minister asked the officers concerned to ensure 100 per cent registration of farmers on Meri Fasal - Mera Byora portal so that timely compensation can be released to them. Khattar said gone are the days when the farmers used to wait for years to get their crop damage compensation. Through e-governance reforms, we have ensured that farmers should get timely compensation. The e-kshatipurti portal is a historic step towards ensuring transparency in the system of application, verification and award of compensation at the time of crop loss, the chief minister said. He asserted that through this portal, the compensation amount is deposited directly into the verified account of the farmer provided on the Meri Fasal - Mera Byora portal. There is no need to register anywhere other than on this portal. This is the first time that the farmers have received compensation directly into their accounts, the statement added. (editor dailyworld.in)