Raj govt announces extension on drought relief work

Drought relief work in the scarcity-hit western districts of Rajasthan will continue till the end of this month in view of the scanty rainfall the region has received so far this monsoon.
Announcing this today, the state government said that the relief work would now continue in Bikaner, Nagaur, Jodhpur, Churu, Jaisalmer and Barmer districts till July 31.
The decision to carry forward the relief work is to help meet Kharif production targets and give relief to affected farmers and the public at large, an official said here, quoting a Calamity and Relief Department notification.
Altogether, 8,030 villages in 12 districts of the state have been declared scarcity hit on the basis of the Girdwari report on crop assessment.

Before the extension, relief work in the drought-affected areas, which was launched on March 11, was slated to have concluded on July 15, the official said.