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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Rs 1900 crore grant to fight drought-Nitin Sethi

Rs 1900 crore grant to fight drought-Nitin Sethi

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published Published on Aug 1, 2012   modified Modified on Aug 1, 2012
-The Times of India

India could be staring at a drought worse than the one it experienced in 2009. Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar informed that nearly half of the 624 districts had received deficient rains, another 15% experienced scanty or little rains and a deficit of 21% has been recorded across the country so far- worse than the cumulative deficiency recorded in the corresponding period in 2009. An internal review of the government said that rainfall deficiency is unlikely to improve in coming months. 

The government has prepared a contingency plan for 350 districts, suggesting the possible spread of drought by the end of the season. 

Pawar, briefing the media at the end of a meeting of the empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on Tuesday, announced a slew of measures including a 50% diesel subsidy and additional subsidy on seeds for farmers besides allocating Rs 1,900 crore from the Central kitty for various programmes of drought control in affected states. The diesel subsidy is likely to cost the state exchequer Rs 1,260 crore, which the Centre and state governments will share the burden equally. 

Crop sowing under the Kharif season has taken a considerable hit as he total sowing area is 5.59 lakh hectares less than normal. Coarse cereal coverage has fallen by 4.33 million hectares, with Rajasthan suffering the worst drop in crop acreage. The reservoir levels, however, are doing a shade better than 2009, and have recorded 76% normal for this time of the year. 

Though Pawar shied away from comparing this year's situation to 2009 and left it to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to shortly forecast the rainfall for August and September, preliminary government assessment suggested that the situation was unlikely to improve. In the ministers' meeting, where an ailing Union food minister K V Thomas was absent, it was noted that growing drinking water crisis had led to tankers being pressed into service in several towns and villages in Karnataka and Maharashtra. 

As part of the measures to contain the impact of drought, the EGoM decided to nullify the 30% duty on import of oil cakes — used for fodder — with the internal report mentioning that price of fodder had increased from 1.4-2.5 times and could spike even higher in coming days. 

The EGoM confirmed that diesel subsidy, which was first tested in 2009, would be given to all districts where either rainfall deficit has been recorded higher than 50% by 15 July or the states have declared drought or the region has had a dry spell continuously for more than 15 days. The subsidy would be restricted to each farmer to a maximum of 2 hectares. 

The Centre would also provide support of Rs 1,040 crore to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat under the Integrated Watershed Programme and Rs 453 crore to Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme. 

Pawar is slated to travel with Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh to four drought-hit states of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat between August 1 and 3. Based on inputs and recommendations received from state governments, the EGoM is expected to meet again to take further measures. 

The Times of India, 1 August, 2012, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rs-1900-crore-grant-to-fight-drought/articleshow/15299358.cms


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