Rajasthan declares 1,388 villages in 4 districts 'draught-affected'

The Rajasthan government has issued a notification declaring 1,388 villages of 13 tehsils in Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Hanumangarh districts drought-affected, an official statement said on Monday.

A total of 131 villages in Barmer district have been declared "severely drought-affected" and 92 villages as "moderately drought-affected". In Jaisalmer, 632 villages have been declared "severe" and 40 villages "moderately drought-affected".

Similarly, 13 villages in Jodhpur district are "severe" and 297 villages are "moderately drought-prone". A total of 182 villages in Hanumangarh district are "severely drought-affected" and one village is "moderately drought-affected", as per the notification.

The provisions regarding the declaration of drought in these affected villages will remain in force for six months from the date of the notification.

The state government, in another decision, approved a proposal to establish the District Legal Services Authority, Jaipur Mahanagar-II, and created 10 new posts. The creation of these posts will incur a financial burden of about Rs 1.50 crores per annum.