Bihar seeks aid worth Rs 23,071 crore to meet financial burden

tna August 17, 2009, 1:20 IST

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sought an assistance amounting to Rs 23,071 crore from the cenral government to meet the financial burden caused by the ‘unprecedented drought’ in the state.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Kumar said the financial requirement to deal with the drought situation could go up if scanty rainfall was reported in more districts.

A few days ago, the Bihar government had declared 26 out of 38 districts drought-hit, that has affected around 12.6 million 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,” it said.

Of the Rs 23,071 crore allocation sought for tackling drought, Rs 10,845 crore has been sought for employment generation under the flagship NREG scheme and other sectors.

Kumar has also sought Rs 10,254 crore as gratuitous relief, Rs 1,005 crore for the agriculture sector, Rs 166.8 crore for energy, Rs 310 crore for providing drinking water to the drought-affected people, Rs 221 crore to meet the fodder and water needs of roughly 11 million cattleheads and Rs 10 crore for taking preventive measures to check the outbreak of diseases.

He said that in accordance with the CRF/NCCF norms, the state would require Rs 545 crore for agricultural input subsidies to replace paddy seeds or 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 so far 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.