UP reiterates demand for drought relief package of Rs 6,138 cr

Central team in the state to assess drought situation; three separate teams to visit nine districts

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday reiterated its demand for a central drought-relief package of Rs 6,138 crore.

The demand was made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan to a central government team, led by Agriculture Joint Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh. The team arrived in the state on Wednesday to assess the drought situation. Last week, the state had declared 44 of its 75 districts as drought-affected, since these areas had received less than 50 per cent of their average normal rainfall.

In his meeting with Singh, Ranjan sought Rs 6,138 crore of relief amount, to be sanctioned under the working plan of various departments, for farmers of the 44 drought-affected districts.

These districts are Kanpur City, Unnao, Banda, Amethi, Kushinagar, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Deoria, Azamgarh, Bareilly, Kannauj, Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Mathura, Aligarh, Amroha, Jalaun, Pilibhit, Mau, Jaunpur, Hamirpur, Faizabad, Saharanpur, Meerut, Rampur, Badaun, Auraiyya, Etah, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Hapur, Etawah, Kanpur Dehat, Mainpuri, Bulandshahr, Mahoba, Firozabad, Hardoi, Farrukhabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Agra, Sonbhadra and Maharajganj.

Of the total package, Rs 685 crore would be disbursed as compensation towards crop losses suffered by farmers, Rs 999 crore for the agriculture department, Rs 21 crore for horticulture, Rs 71 crore for fisheries, Rs 1,162 crore for Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation, Rs 91 crore for irrigation and water resources, Rs 640 crore for animal husbandry, Rs 259 crore for minor irrigation, Rs 9 crore for ground water, Rs 39 crore for health, Rs 1,498 crore for irrigation, Rs 555 crore for Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam and Rs 109 crore for forests.

The government has deferred revenue collection till March 2015 in the 44 districts.

Three separate central teams would visit Kanpur City, Kanpur Dehat, Jalaun (Orai), Mathura, Aligarh, Badaun, Agra, Etah and Kannauj districts.

The rainfall activity had been low during sowing, when rainfall is most needed for irrigation. Agriculture supports over 50 per cent of Uttar Pradesh’s population, and monsoon is the main source of irrigation in agriculture.

DEMAND FOR RELIEF

• Last week, the state had declared 44 of its 75 districts as drought-affected
   
• These districts had received less than 50 per cent of their average normal rainfall
   
• In the wake of drought, the government has deferred revenue collection till March 2015 in the 44 districts
  

 

Three separate central teams would visit Kanpur City, Kanpur Dehat, Jalaun (Orai), Mathura, Aligarh, Badaun, Agra, Etah and Kannauj districts to assess the drought situation
 

Of the total package demanded by the state, Rs 1,162 crore would be earmarked for the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation