Gandhinagar : Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel have always made it their priority to ensure the welfare of farmers in Gujarat. In yet another step towards the same, a relief package worth Rs.31.45 crores is announced by the state government for farmers affected by the menace of locusts in Banaskantha and Patan. Providing details of the relief package, Minister of Agriculture R.C Faldu said, “ The farmers of Banaskantha and Patan suffered heavy losses on 18th December 2019 due to the menace of locusts from Rajasthan and Pakistan. The department surveyed the area as per the immediate instructions of the CM and Deputy CM in order to assist more than 11000 farmers in the area.”. Farmers suffering more than 33% of damage will be provided assistance of Rs.18,500 per hectares upto 2 hectares. The amount is Rs.5000 more (per hectare) than the limits announced by SDRF of the Central Government. A total of 285 villages of these 2 districts were surveyed. It included an area of 24,472 hectares in Banaskantha and 750 hectares in Patan, the total being 25,222 out of which 17,000 hectares has been surveyed. The amount will be transferred through DBT. The remaining area of land will be surveyed taking in consideration the situation of the farmers. The state government had started its immediate course of action when it learned about the menace of locusts. In addition to that, 17 teams for locust regulation were also deployed by the Central Government. 104 tractors were also sought to spray the necessary pesticides.