Parched Bundelkhand likely to get drought relief soon

New Delhi: The parched Bundelkhand region — which encompasses the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh and also covers many districts of Madhya Pradesh — is likely to receive a relief package from the Centre. Government think tank Niti Aayog has been asked to work out the parameters of the package, which is likely to be announced soon, highly placed sources said.

The region, which comes into focus every year during the onset of monsoon season as it has received inadequate rainfall and faced successive droughts over the past decade, is under focus of the Centre. While the relief package is expected in one way bring succour to the region, at the same time it could serve as a potent political move what with Lok Sabha polls less than a year away.

According to highly-laced sources, a meeting of top Niti Aayog officials is scheduled for April 12 to discuss the contours of the relief package.

How much significance the Narendra Modi-led NDA regime attaches to the region could be gauged from the fact that in February this year he had announced a defence industrial corridor for Bundelkhand which would link Agra, Aligarh, Jhansi and Chitrakoot belts and bring in investments worth `20,000 crore there as well as employment opportunities.

The proposed relief package for Bundelkhand is likely to focus on providing monetary relief to farmers in the region owing to crop losses which they have suffered over the years.

In 2016 also when the region had faced drought, the Prime Minister had formed a high level committee under chairmanship of home minister Rajnath Singh to look into the relief measures for Bundelkhand.

That committee had suggested a sum of Rs 304 crore to be given for drought relief to Uttar Pradesh under National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).

This time though the Centre seems to have begun its preparations well in advance to mitigate the losses of farmers of the region. The formulation of the relief package appears to be a step in that direction.