Odisha, Centre offer sops to win over Padampur voters

BHUBANESWAR: In order to win over angry farmers ahead of the crucial Padampur byelection on December 5, the ruling BJD government and the main opposition BJP were busy announcing sops on Tuesday, even as the Congress blamed them for violating the model code of conduct.
The BJD and the BJP are leaving nothing to chance to win Padampur, which may set the tone for 2024 simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. After winning the recent Dhamnagar bypoll, an upbeat BJP is trying to snatch Padampur from the ruling regional party while the latter is striving hard to retain it to send a signal that it continues to be in driver's seat.
While the Naveen Patnaik government on Tuesday announced a Rs 200 crore package for crop loss, Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar tweeted pending crop insurance claims of Padampur were cleared.
The state government announced input subsidy for drought-hit farmers across 64 blocks and 15 towns in 12 of the 30 districts, minutes after Tomar tweeted that the Centre's technical advisory committee had approved crop insurance claims of Padampur farmers and had asked insurance companies and state government to settle it.
A chief minister's office statement said the subsidy will be borne from state exchequer for crops damaged by at least 33% in 2.63 lakh hectare.
Though the government didn’t name the blocks, official sources said all three blocks (Jharbandh, Padampur and Paikmal) under Padampur assembly seat were covered. Farmers in affected unirrigated areas would get Rs 6800 per hectare for maximum two hectare each.
The government said despite frequent reminders to the technical advisory committee of the Union agriculture ministry, most drought-hit farmers had not got their insurance claims. Pointing out that the two parties had patently violated the poll code, Congress legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra said the Election Commission of India, if it has the slightest regard for poll code, should take suo motu cognizance