10 districts in J'khand declared drought-hit

The Centre has declared ten of the 24 districts in Jharkhand as drought-affected, two weeks after the state sought the tag for the entire state in the wake of deficit rainfall, an official statement said here.

Around 12 lakh farmers across the ten districts are expected to benefit from the announcement, it said.

Among the 10 districts, Bokaro has been found to be the worst-hit, with farmers there suffering huge crop loss, the release issued on Wednesday said.

The other nine districts that have been severely affected by deficit rainfall are Chatra, Deoghar, Garhwa, Giridih, Godda, Hazaribag, Jamtara, Koderma and Pakur.

The announcement was made by the Centre on the basis of rainfall analysis between August 1 and September 4.

The state government had also requested the "drought- hit" tag for Ranchi, Dumka and Latehar, the release said.

It had on Wednesday announced that it would give Rs 185 as a bonus on the Centre's minimum support price per quintal for Kharif produce. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Raghubar Das.

Quoting Jharkhand Agriculture Secretary Puja Singhal, the statement said the Raghubar-Das government would urge the Centre to add at least three more districts to the list.

According to Ranchi Meteorological Centre, Jharkhand recorded a deficit rainfall of 28 per cent between June and September 26.