Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday defended the release of an input subsidy package worth Rs.600 crore for kharif crops to farmers and announced launch of a fresh assessment exercise to find out the damage caused to crops by the recent cold wave and hailstorm in some parts of the State.

Intervening in a debate in the Assembly during Zero Hour, he said the package announced at a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority on Sunday was only in connection with the input subsidy, for which the money was already available with the State Government. Only the norms for release of package were to be decided, he added.