Sharad Pawar’s exhortation to MPs to use their local area development funds (MPLAD) to combat the drought might well help. After all, Rs 2 crore multiplied by 543 equals enough cash to build some tube-wells, embankments and water projects in constituencies across India. And never mind the usurpation of executive power that the MPLAD scheme represents: when the wound is raw, you don’t ask where the balm is coming from. Pawar’s letter to MPs follows his asking state agricultural ministers to use funds at their disposal to construct shallow tube-wells for the next Rabi crop. Yet, there is something amiss about the Union agriculture minister’s efforts; a sense that he is tinkering, when what is needed is a major overhaul.

The impact of the drought has been varied. As far as supply is concerned, two bumper harvests in the last two years might see us through this one. But this does little for the farmer facing barren fields, for whom short-term relief is a must. Then, there is the big picture. As has been pointed out in these columns, a well-networked irrigation system is the best long-term defence against drought. Where this has happened, such as in Punjab and Haryana, the thanks are due to Central and regional leaders who saw in the ’50s and ’60s what many of their compatriots cannot see even today. It is no coincidence that while these states are amongst the worst hit by the drought, they have been able to weather it better than others. Alas, the obviousness of expanding the irrigation network confronts two obstacles: a sluggish commission tasked with overseeing the task, and environmental worries that are oft-voiced but rarely spelt out. Prodding the commission and sifting genuine environmental concerns from the absurd must be Sharad Pawar’s priority.

... contd.