Sindh declares 723 villages calamity-hit

Farmers face losses; agricultural loan repayment exempted for one year

KARACHI:

The Sindh government has declared 723 villages in nine rain-affected districts across province as calamity-hit.

In view of the losses, the government has announced waiver of agricultural tax ‘Dhal’ on these 723 villages.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, considering the miseries the villages and their residents are facing, has given the approval for the decision.

According to the Sindh government notification issued after the approval, the villagers of all 723 calamity-hit villages have been exempted for one year from the payment of their installments of the agricultural loans they have obtained from banks.

The exemptions given by the Sindh government include districts of Qamber, Shahdakot, Mitiari, Thatta, Dadu, Jamshoro, Badin, Sanghar, Nowshero Feroze and Khairpur.

It may be mentioned that recent spells of monsoon rains have destroyed villages and ready crops causing huge losses to the farmers. As the Met Department has forecast more rains in coming days, there is a fear of more flooding in the low-lying areas in rural Sindh.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2022.