Date:24/07/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/07/24/stories/2002072405110100.htm

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Drought-hit States seek more relief

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI JULY 23. Four States — Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab — where delayed monsoon has hit the kharif crop, have sought increased allocation of foodgrains in the Targeted Public Distribution System.

These States have sought a raise in the monthly allocation of foodgrains from 35 kg to 50 kg for the Below Poverty Line family. They have also asked the Centre for more relief under the Food-for-Work programme and the Special Allocation Scheme under the `Sampooran Grameen Rozgar Yojna'.

Both the schemes were implemented free of cost last year in seven drought-hit States, even for the Above Poverty Line populations at a cost of Rs. 34 lakhs to the exchequer.

The India Meteorological Department today predicted that rainfall activity would be "subdued" in the next two days in the northwest and central India, which meant no rainfall in Punjab, Haryana, parts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

A preliminary assessment of the monsoon activity showed that rainfall had been scanty or deficient in about 50 districts in Uttar Pradesh, 21 districts in Haryana, Chattisgarh and Delhi, 31 districts in Rajasthan, 40 districts in Madhya Pradesh and 12 in Himachal Pradesh.

The Centre will assess the damage in the 11 States that have been invited for a meeting convened by the Agriculture Ministry here tomorrow.

Even though the most threatened States have been asked to prepare a contingency plan for alternative crop and also an action plan for relief measures, the meeting would enable the Government to make an assessment of the requirement for foodgrains, fodder and alternative seeds in these States.

The Ministry, which is the nodal agency for managing drought situations, will make it official on July 31.

Till then, they hope rainfall activity would increase and salvage the situation in at least Haryana where basmati rice can be sown till August 15.

Punjab and Haryana may have lost one lakh tonne of acreage under non-basmati rice but will deplete ground water level due to over-drawal. Short duration paddy can be sown in Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Orissa.

Only 74 lakh tonnes of coarse cereals have been sown so far as against the 126-lakh hectares last year.

The total kharif oilseeds area planted so far is 45 lakh tonnes as compared to 90 lakh tonnes last year.