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| Nitish seeks Rs 23,071 cr from PM to combat drought |
| Press Trust of India / Patna Aug 16, 2009, 17:50 IST |
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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today shot off a letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking an assistance of Rs 23,071 crore to meet the financial burden caused by the 'unprecedented drought' situation prevailing in the state.
Before leaving for New Delhi to attend the Chief Ministers' conference convened by the Prime Minister, Kumar's letter which was released to the press said that the financial requirement to deal with drought situation could go up in case the other districts also received scanty rainfall in the coming weeks.
The Bihar government, a few days ago, had declared 26 out of 38 districts drought hit affecting around 1.26 crore families with paddy coverage showing an overall shortfall of 57 per cent.
With the coverage of other main crop maize also coming down to 27.4 per cent during the current sowing season due to scanty rains, the government might consider declaring the remaining 12 districts as drought hit, the letter said.
"We are requesting the Centre for an allocation of Rs 23,071 crore for meeting the financial burden caused by the drought which is somewhat unprecedented in recent times," the letter said.
Of the Rs 23,071 crore allocation sought for tackling drought, Rs 10,845 crore has been sought for employment generation under NREGA and other sectors.
Kumar has also sought Rs 10,254 crore as gratuitous relief, Rs 1,005 crore for agriculture sector, Rs 166.80 crore for energy, Rs 310 crore for providing drinking water to drought affected people, Rs 221 crore to meet the fodder and water needs of roughly 1.10 crore cattle heads and Rs 10 crore for taking preventive measures to check the outbreak of diseases.
He said that the state would require Rs 545 crore for agricultural input subsidies to replace paddy seeds/saplings which have been damaged or withered.
Demanding an additional Rs 50 crore as seed subsidy, Kumar's letter said the state government would require RS 410 crore for ensuring irrigation to all Kharif crops against which the state government had already released Rs 26 crore as diesel subsidy.
Seeking Rs 310 crore for providing potable water in 26 drought affected districts, Kumar said that ground water level in the state had gone down affecting aquifers and surface water availability.
To meet the water requirement of the people funds would be required for repairing the hand pumps, deepening them, undertaking pipe water supply and transportation of water to far flung areas, the CM said.
Enumerating the state's efforts to tackle the situation, Kumar said that crisis management group had been constituted at district level in consultation with political parties.
The Chief Minister also said that revenue collections, electricity and credit dues relating to agriculture had been suspended in the affected districts.
Kumar's letter said, "Our inability to secure from the Centre the past dues for the floods of 2007 and 2008 leaves the state with little headroom to meet the consequences of this drought unless aforesaid needs are fully met by the Central government."
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