(a) whether the locusts have caused a lot of damage to the crops across the country in the last two years till date;
(b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
(c) the details of the total damage caused by locusts attack to the crops during the last two years, State-wise; and
(d) the amount of compensation provided to the farmers by the Government whose crops have been damaged by the locusts?
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE ???? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)
(a) to (c) Locust attack is not a regular phenomenon and large scale incursions occur in cycles of heightened activity for a couple of years followed by long periods of inactivity. Locust attacks were reported in India during 2019-20 and 2020-21 when locusts migrated to India after a gap of 26 years. During 2019-20, locust incursion was reported in three States, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab, while in 2020-21, locust incursion was reported in ten States, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The details of area affected and the crop damage in affected States are given at Annexure.
(d) For 2019-20, State Government of Rajasthan reported that an amount of Rs. 132.85 crore was disbursed to 87626 beneficiaries through State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) as Agriculture Input Subsidy and an amount of Rs. 565.20 crores was disbursed to 204215 beneficiaries through Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Further, financial assistance of Rs.68.65 crores was provided to Rajasthan under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). State Government of Gujarat reported that an amount of Rs. 20.34 crore was provided to affected farmers.
For 2020-21, State Government of Rajasthan reported that compensation of Rs. 15.29 lakhs was disbursed through SDRF. State Government of Uttar Pradesh reported that an amount of Rs. 3.25 Lakhs was provided to 112 affected farmers.