‘Haor people facing food scarcity’

State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan has observed that many farmers in Haor areas are facing food scarcity due to recent flash flood. The government would take steps to provide relief to the affected people, he assured while speaking at a special meeting of the law and order at the district administration auditorium on Sunday. He added that allocations for social safety net programmes, already being implemented in the flood-affected areas, would be increased while some steps for the rehabilitation of the farmers had also been taken. Mannan also noted that he would advocate for exempting the affected farmers from loan repayment. MP of Sunamganj 1 constituency Moazzem Hossain Ratan and Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Rafiqul Islam were also present at the meeting. About 150,000 hectare paddy fields in the Haor and low-lying areas of Sunamganj have been inundated by the flash flood, prompted by heavy rainfall in the Meghalaya hills in India. Mannan visited some flood-affected areas before attending the meeting.