Onion growers' body seeks Rs 1 lakh per acre for crop damage due to rains
_vb_23.jpeg)
Mumbai (PTI): An onion growers' association in Maharashtra has demanded a compensation of Rs 1 lakh per acre for farmers who lost their crop due to severe rainfall in the state last month.
Maharashtra is the largest onion-producing state in the country.
In a letter written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on May 29, the Maharashtra Rajya Kanda Utpadak Sanghatna also asked for "transparent" onion procurement by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED).
Maharashtra received unprecedented rainfall in May, it pointed out.
Onion-producing districts such as Jalgaon, Dhule, Nashik, Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Pune, Solapur, Beed, Dharashiv, Sangli, Buldhana, Akola, Parbhani and Jalna were severely affected by rains, the letter said.
Due to heavy rainfall across the state since May 6, there has been a significant damage to the onion crop across the state, said the letter signed by the association's president Bharat Dighole and its Nashik district chief Jaydeep Bhadane.
Many farmers lost their entire Rabi season crop before it could be harvested, it said, seeking a compensation of Rs 1 lakh per acre.
The association further said that onions which had been harvested but not stored were also damaged, and demanded a subsidy of Rs 2,000 per quintal for farmers who were forced to sell their crop at a low price.
"Due to continuous heavy rains, thousands of tons of onions have rotted in the fields, causing farmers losses to the tune of crores of rupees," it claimed.
"We urge the state government to urgently and accurately assess the damage and provide immediate compensation," the association said.
The NAFED and the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation should procure three lakh tons of onions for the central buffer stock directly from farmers through the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) at a minimum rate of Rs 3,000 per quintal, the letter said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
UP: Govt hospital staff booked for sexually assaulting woman in pretext of ultrasound test
Gorakhpur (PTI): A hospital employee was booked for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in the pretext of an ultrasound test here in the district women's hospital, police said on Saturday.
According to the complaint, the woman, a resident of the Gulriha area, visited the district women's hospital on Thursday morning for an ultrasound test.
She was directed to a room, where Abhimanyu Gupta was conducting ultrasounds. When her turn came, the accused allegedly stared at her and told her to remove all her clothes, claiming it was necessary for the test and that a massage would also be required, she said.
ALSO READ: UP: Girl kidnapped, raped multiple times over 25 days; accused held
The woman alleged that once she complied, the accused began making obscene advances and tried to force himself on her. When she screamed, he allegedly gagged her, abused her and threatened to kill her before pushing her out of the room.
She said her complaints within the hospital went unheard, forcing her to approach the police.
Taking cognisance of the complaint, the hospital administration constituted a three-member inquiry committee, officials said.
Senior consultant (paediatrics) Dr Jay Kumar said, "The woman has levelled serious allegations against a staff member. Senior officials have been informed, and a departmental inquiry is underway. Strict action will be taken if the charges are proved."
Kotwali Station House Officer Chatrapal Singh said a case has been registered, and efforts are on to nab the accused.
