Finance and Health Minister T Harish Rao visited Siddipet on Wednesday to inspect the damage caused to crops by a sudden hailstorm. The minister expressed his sympathy for the farmers who had lost their crops just before the harvesting stage. He assured them that the government would provide relief at Rs.10,000 per acre and requested farmers to give details of their losses to officials. The initial assessment showed a crop loss of 35,000 acres, which could increase to 40,000 acres. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had already instructed the Chief Secretary to take action, and state ministers were touring affected districts to support farmers.
