Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said farmers would be eligible for input subsidy if 33 percent of their crop has been damaged against the prevailing norm. According to the prevailing yardstick, the farmers are eligible for such subsidy over crop damage of 50 percent or more.

Making the announcement during the launch of the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana here, Modi said the input subsidy given to distressed farmers would be enhanced by 50 percent of the existing amounts.

This was a major departure from the incremental changes in input subsidy that had been made hitherto, he said.

Expressing concern over the problems faced by farmers due to abnormal weather conditions over the past year, the prime minister said helping farmers in such time of distress was our responsibility, and, therefore, the government has sent teams of central ministers to affected areas to assess the extent of damage.

The union and state governments, the banks and insurance companies would all do their utmost to provide relief to the farmers, he said.