Gehlot seeks central assistance to deal with locust menace

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide assistance to Rajasthan to deal with the attack of locusts, which, he said, has already begun in the state.

Locusts damage crops by eating leaves and fruits. In the past, farmers in Rajasthan have faced huge losses due to attacks by swarms of locusts.

"Outbreak of locusts in Rajasthan has already started. Farmers in Rajasthan are facing the menace of locusts which are attacking the crops in several districts of state," Gehlot said in a series of tweets.

"I request PM Narendra Modi ji to take this problem seriously and immediately give instructions to concerned central officials to help Rajasthan get rid of this," he said.

Steps need to be taken at the earliest so that the situation can be brought under control otherwise farmers will be very badly affected, the chief minister said.

"We need central assistance to deal with this. The State Government will extend all cooperation to the Locust Department of the Central Government as in the previous year," Gehlot said.

Last year, about 6.70 lakh hectare area in 12 districts -- Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Bikaner, Nagaur, Churu, Hanumangarh, Sriganganagar, Sirohi, Pali and Udaipur -- was badly affected due to locusts and there was a loss of about Rs 1,000 crore, he said.