With 65 per cent rain deficit, Haryana declared 'drought-hit'

With a rainfall deficit of 65 per cent this monsoon, the Haryana Government today declared the entire state as "drought-affected" and ordered special survey to assess the loss caused due to the dry spell.
Stating this at a press conference here this evening, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said the entire state has been declared as drought affected for kharif cultivation and a special revenue survey has been ordered to assess the loss caused due to the continued dry spell.
Hooda said that earlier it was in 2002 when the state was declared as drought affected.
The Chief Minister, who earlier held a meeting with senior government officials here today to take stock of the situation in view of the scanty rainfall, said that in case of more than 50 per cent damage to the crops of paddy and cotton, a compensation of Rs 4,000 per acre would be given.

However, in case of damage to other crops, he said, it would be Rs 3,500 per acre.
"...The norms of the central government are to give compensation of Rs 1,800 and Rs 3,600," he pointed out.

With the assembly polls in Haryana slated for October, the main opposition INLD had earlier demanded that the entire state be declared as drought-hit.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has already submitted a memorandum to the central government seeking a special package of Rs 4,829.75 crore and hoped that the Narendra Modi government would respond positively and send its team at the earliest to assess the loss.

Hooda said the Centre's scheme of diesel subsidy announced on August 7 suffers from "serious issues of implementation and in this drought affected state, the farmers would hardly be able to get any relief under it".
"The scheme envisages 50 per cent subsidy on diesel to be shared in 50:50 ratio between the Centre and the States, with a cap of Rs 1,050 per hectare (Rs 420 per acre) for the entire Kharif season, which is not even a drop in the ocean," he stated.