Unseasonal rains have devastated over 10 lakh hectares of farmland across Gujarat, prompting Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to order a rapid week-long survey for swift compensation to distressed farmers. The downpours, lashing key agricultural belts including Tapi, Navsari, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar, and Surat, have inflicted extensive damage on major crops such as soybean, cotton, sugarcane, and groundnut, threatening the livelihoods of thousands in the state's agrarian heartlands. Patel mobilised his cabinet immediately, dispatching ministers to affected areas for on-ground assessments and direct interactions with farmers reeling from the losses.

At a high-level cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the government greenlit a comprehensive statewide survey, tasking gram sevaks with village-level evaluations to compile a detailed damage report within seven days. A five-member ministerial committee, already constituted by Patel, submitted its preliminary findings, underscoring the crisis's scale and urgency. Government spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Jitu Vaghani, who chaired a review in Bhavnagar's Shihor and visited Kajavdar village, reaffirmed the administration's solidarity: "The Chief Minister and entire cabinet stand firmly with the farming community during this difficult time."

Vaghani highlighted the proactive response, with Patel personally monitoring developments to ensure "all necessary steps" for timely aid. This follows a Rs 947 crore relief package announced on October 20 for farmers hit by August-September rains in 18 talukas across five districts—comprising Rs 563 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund and Rs 384 crore in direct state assistance. The latest calamity exacerbates ongoing vulnerabilities, as erratic weather patterns amid climate change continue to challenge Gujarat's robust agricultural sector, which contributes significantly to national production.

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As gram sevaks fan out and ministers sustain fieldwork, the coming week will be pivotal in delivering relief, restoring farmer confidence, and mitigating economic fallout. The Patel government's emphasis on speed and transparency aims to prevent prolonged distress, drawing lessons from prior interventions to bolster resilience against future unseasonal events in this vital farming state.

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