Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday defended the release of an input subsidy package worth Rs.600 crore for kharif crops to farmers and announced launch of a fresh assessment exercise to find out the damage caused to crops by the recent cold wave and hailstorm in some parts of the State. Intervening in a debate in the Assembly during Zero Hour, he said the package announced at a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority on Sunday was only in connection with the input subsidy, for which the money was already available with the State Government. Only the norms for release of package were to be decided, he added. Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria took exception to the announcement of package outside the Assembly when the House was in session. Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party members joined him and demanded revision in the norms for payment of compensation for loss of crops. The eligibility rider of damage to at least 50 per cent of the crop of a farmer was unacceptable to the Opposition. Mr. Gehlot said the State Government had decided to launch a fresh exercise of “Girdavari” (crop assessment) to find out the extent of loss caused by the cold wave and hailstorm: “There is a wide gap between the assessment reports prepared [so far] and the information provided to us by the elected representatives.” He said the Collectors, Sub-Divisional Officers and Tehsildars in the affected districts would conduct extensive surveys for preparing the final reports. “The State Government will announce the decision for [providing] relief to farmers in the Assembly with due consideration to the sentiments of elected representatives,” he said. Mr. Gehlot pointed out that a package to compensate for the loss of crops caused by hailstorm had already been announced. 7,900 scarcity-hit villages The input subsidy for kharif crops will be paid to about 17.80 lakh farmers in over 7,900 scarcity-hit villages of 12 districts on the basis of crop assessment reports prepared last year. The State Government will disburse the subsidy before the sowing of crops this year. Mr. Gehlot said small and marginal farmers would get the subsidy of Rs.3,000 per hectare with the ceiling of two hectare land and others an identical amount with the upper limit of one hectare. BJP and Communist Party of India (Marxist) members have been demanding a statement from the Government on the steps taken for providing relief to farmers. The BJP has moved an adjournment motion on the issue, on which Speaker Deependra Singh Shekhawat is yet to give his ruling. Mr. Kataria said a large number of farmers had been affected in the untimely rain and hailstorm during winter and there was a complete loss of crops in some areas. He said the announcement of package outside the Assembly, when the House is in session, was “in violation of the Speaker's rulings” given from time to time. The Opposition described an unreasonable the condition that at least 50 per cent of crops must be proved as damaged for making a farmer eligible to get relief. CPI(M) MLA Amra Ram said the Congress-led Government had released only Rs.2 crore from the package of Rs.200 crore announced during the previous year's winter season.