PATNA, April 30 -- The unseasonal rains and hailstorm experienced recently in Bihar has caused crop damages in 4,908.53 hectares of land in several districts worth Rs.8.39 crore, which has been sought from the disaster management department for disbursing compensation to farmers for the crop damages in their fields, as per the initial assessment report released on Tuesday. The government has agreed to provide relief to aggrieved farmers. "The funds sought from the disaster management department would be disbursed to farmers under agricultural input subsidy scheme to affected farmers through direct benefit transfer. The process would begin soon," said deputy chief minister and agriculture minister Vijay Kumar Sinha in a press statement. The assessment of crop damages of rabi/ garma crops worth Rs.8.39 crore is the initial report submitted from districts of Supaul, Nalanda, Samastipur, Nawada, Madhepura and Begusarai where hailstorm and unseasonal rains were experienced on April 9, April 10 and April 14, officials said. The assessment report of crop damages from other districts where hailstorm and unseasonal rains were experienced would be submitted soon. "The crop damages include horticulture crop (one year crop). The main crop damages is wheat , maize, pulses and garma crops. The assessment of crop damages has been done as per norms of the disaster management act , which stipulates compensations to farmers having suffered more than 33% of crop damage to natural calamities," said an agriculture depatment, official. Agriculture department officials said the compensation would vary farmer to farmer with the nature and size of land holdings like irrigated land and non-irrigated land. There was extensive damage to crops on April 9 and 10 and also on April 14 due to heavy rains in large parts of the state . The torrential rains and lightening due to Kal Baishaki mainly on April 9 and 10 had caused 63 deaths across various districts in Bihar with 24 deaths caused due to lightening strikes and 39 were due to other reasons including uprooting of trees, state officials had said. The agriculture minister, Sinha said the state government was committed to provide all assistance to farmers for their crop damages and all farmers having suffered crop losses would be compensated adequately....