Bhubaneswar, May 16 (UNI) The Odisha Government has declared unseasonal rainfall as a state-specific disaster.
According to official sources, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has approved the proposal to categorise unseasonal rain under this classification.
With this declaration, farmers in Odisha will now be eligible for assistance from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) during periods of unseasonal rainfall.
Officials stated that up to 10 per cent of the annual SDRF allocation can be utilised to address losses caused by unseasonal rains.
In December 2024, unseasonal rainfall damaged crops across 22,791 hectares in the state, affecting approximately 6.66 lakh farmers.
In response, the Chief Minister had declared it a special state disaster and allocated Rs.291 crore as agricultural input subsidies to support affected farmers.
The state government has now formally included unseasonal rainfall as a recognised state disaster, ensuring that farmers can receive timely aid from the SDRF.
Previously, Odisha had recognised eight state-specific disasters: lightning, heat waves, whirlwinds, tornadoes, heavy rain (not associated with floods), boat accidents (when no flood is present), drowning, and snakebites.
With the addition of unseasonal rain, the total number of state-specific disasters now stands at nine. Additionally, the central government has declared 12 disasters at the national level.
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