With rainfall deficiency hitting the region, Haryana Government on Saturday submitted a memorandum to the Union Ministry of Agriculture seeking a special package of central assistance amounting to Rs4,829.25 crore to meet the drought-like conditions prevailing in the State.
A Government spokesman said that according to the data collected from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the period June 1, 2014 to August 26, 2014, the State has received a rainfall of only 124.6 mm as compared to the normal rainfall of 358.9 mm, which is 65 per cent less than the normal rainfall.
The memorandum said Haryana was among the most adversely affected States due to weak and erratic monsoon and it is experiencing drought-like conditions during the current Kharif season. “The State government has requested for a special package of Rs4829.25 crore, of which an amount of Rs1191.79 crore has been demanded to compensate the state Power Utilities alone who have been consistently maintaining an 8-hour supply for the agricultural tube-wells to meet the irrigation needs of farmers and save the crops, notwithstanding that power is being sourced at very high rates,” a Government release said.
The memorandum sought an assistance of Rs1703 crore to compensate for damage to the standing crops, relief for the unsown area, seeds for alternate crops, distribution of gypsum and deepening of tubewells. Further, assistance of Rs66.81 crore has been sought for taking relief measures qua the damages to the horticulture sector. It states that not only the survival of standing Kharif Crops is a challenge, but it may have its fall-out on account of low moisture levels for the Rabi crops, if the present rainfall trends continue.
The State Government has also pitched a case for an amount of Rs1,047.71 crore to offset the interest burden on the farmers on account of deferment and conversion of Short Term crop loans, advanced by the Cooperative Sector banks, to Medium Term loans in these difficult times. Similarly, enhanced provision of an amount of Rs293.30 crore has been sought under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and
the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) to provide for additional wage employment and creation of water harvesting structures in the rural areas of the state. Other areas of assistance include the irrigation sector, drinking water supply in rural and urban areas, animal husbandry and fisheries.
State Government claimed that it has been deploying all its resources to combat the difficult situation arising on account of the scanty rainfall and the consequential difficulties being faced by the farmers. “However, the available resources are proving to be inadequate to comprehensively address the situation, for which it expects the Central Government to provide the requisite support by way of a special package of Central Assistance,” the memorandum added.
