Government prepares action plan to fight drought

With the country having faced two successive years of poor rains and several states reeling under the impact of a severe drought, the government has prepared an action plan to mitigate its impact under which National Food Security Act (NFSA) has been implemented in all the affected states, and to ensure water supply, hand pumps have been restored. Apart from providing water through tankers, private borewells have been hired to augment water supply.

Official sources said that the government is closely monitoring the situation in drought affected states like Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Agriculture minister Radhamohan Singh also took stock of the prevailing conditions along with his officials on Saturday.

The Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), in collaboration with the state agricultural universities, has prepared a contingency plan for 600 affected districts to implement location-specific interventions to sustain agriculture production.

There are 1.71 million rural habitations in the country. More than 25 per cent of these habitations (4,41,390) are facing drinking water scarcity, official sources informed. Around 1,400 temporary piped water supply schemes have been started and water tankers have been supplying drinking water to around 15,000-odd habitations.

The NFSA has been implemented in all the drought affected states. After regular consultations with the states, the number of states coming under the Act’s provision have increased from 11 to 33 in the last year, sources added.

All beneficiaries in drought affected states are currently receiving foodgrains at NFSA prescribed rates. Also, additional allocation of food grains has been made to Maharashtra and Karnataka on their request, sources added.

The mid-day meal scheme provides for serving of mid-day meals to eligible school children during summer vacations in areas declared to be drought affected by the concerned state governments.

The majority of the drought affected states have obtained financial approvals to serve mid-day meals during summer vacations in their drought affected areas.

Other steps taken by the Centre as part of the contingency plan include strengthening of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), where for meeting the demand for work in drought affected areas, durable, income generating assets are being created.

In the year 2015-16, states were asked to provide employment wherever needed, particularly in drought affected areas, with the assurance that the Centre would make the required resources available.

In response to this, 13 states generated person days beyond their estimated labour budgets for 2015-2016, sources further informed.