Bundelkhand staring at famine: Yogendra Yadav

The former AAP leader said that entire region reeling under consecutive four droughts is worrisome & urgent relief measures are necessary

Psephologist and former AAP leader Yogendra Yadav today said the situation in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, which is reeling under consecutive four droughts was worrisome, and urgent relief measures were necessary.

Speaking to reporters here, Yadav stated that if it didn't rain this year and corrective measures were not taken, the area would face a famine.

A 30-member team of Swaraj Abhiyan (a group formed by Yadav, Prashant Bhushan and other ousted AAP leaders) visited 30-40 villages of Bundelkhand in MP across Datia, Tikamgarh, Panna, Chhattarpur, Sagar and Damoh districts last week.

"The crops were ruined for the fourth consecutive time due to different reasons," Yadav said, adding in the current Rabi season a huge number of farmers had not sown anything.

Water bodies had dried up. "There is no grass and fodder for the cattle which are being abandoned by owners," he said.

The Rs 7,000 crore package for Bundelkhand announced by the UPA government at the behest of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had gone down the drain, Yadav claimed.

There was severe unemployment, no work was available under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and people were migrating, he said.