Govt keeps close watch on agri situation

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren today said his government was keeping a close watch on agriculture situation even as some areas received good rainfall this month.
Speaking on agriculture situation in the face of scanty rainfall this monsoon, Soren informed the state Assembly that his government was monitoring the situation.
Stating that his government would not announce the entire state as drought-hit in haste as some areas have got good rainfall in August, he said several areas received 70 to 80 per cent rainfall and agriculture work was underway.
But whichever area faced drought-like situation, the government would help farmers take up alternative farming, he added.

To a query from a member in the House, Soren said the government would stop collection of loans, taken by farmers, after reviewing the situation there.
He gave an account of steps being taken for the benefit of farmers like Agri-bank with about 3000 tools; water-conservation project is in progress to enable group of farmers use water as per their requirement.

Stating that a total of 266 water bodies have been renovated, he said work in constructing ponds and wells under MG-NREGA would continue.
Earlier, Ananth Pratap Deo (Congress), Sudha Choudhary (JDU) and Sanjay Singh Yadav (RJD) rushed to the well and demanded that the government should declare Palamau and Garhwa districts as drought-hit.

BJP also demanded that the two districts should be declared drought-hit.
The demand prompted Speaker Shashank Sekhar Bhokta to constitute a committee headed by Rural Development Minister K N Tripathy, which would visit the two districts and submit a report to the government.
Bhokta directed the government to initiate action based on the Committee's report on the situation.