Agriculture Minister Mahesh Acharya Monday announced in parliament a Rs.6.9 million relief package for farmers of five districts of east Nepal affected by a dry spell and then heavy rains last week that have left a trail of damage.

Acharya announced subsidies for the purchase of vegetable, wheat and other seeds for the coming autumn and the winter planting seasons. Acharya said government will also dig 20 deep tube wells and 5000 tube wells in the region to increase productivity.

Government has sent a probe mission to the region to assess the extent of the damage by incessant rains last week. Water has started receding from major towns in the area including Biratnagar after rains stopped Sunday, a Home Ministry spokesman said Monday.

A low pressure over the Bay of Bengal triggered the precipitation over east Nepal.