Drought: Haryana demands Rs 4,050 cr

With the state facing 70 per cent deficit rainfall, Haryana government on Friday demanded an assistance of Rs 4,050 crore from the Centre to bail out the state from the 'drought-like situation'.

The demand was made by Harayana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to Union Ministers Sharad Pawar and Jairam Ramesh during their review meeting in Chandigarh on the drought-like conditions in the state. Addressing mediapersons, after the meeting, Hooda said Ramesh had promised an additional budget of 30 per cent under the MGNREGA and Rs 230 crore for drinking water and watershed management.

"The deficiency of rainfall in Haryana was the severest in the country and the situation of deficit rainfall is worst this year as compared to the last 10 years," Hooda said, adding, the central ministers admitted that a drought-like situation prevailed in state. He, however, said that the situation had improved after rainfall in the past few days.

"The monsoon season is not over yet...I hope good rainfall will take place in the coming days...if it doesn't then the government will review the situation once again," he said.

"The government purchased power to the tune of Rs 610 crore (for agriculture sector) and in the coming days additional power worth Rs 1,500 crore will be further purchased by the state," he said, adding that Centre has assured "help on this as well." The state government also demanded a bonus of Rs 200 per quintal on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy and Rs 100 on other crops on account of the extra cost incurred by the farmers in the rain deficit season.

Pointing out that the state government was also facing shortage of fodder, he said, the Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has waived off import duty on oil cakes.

Elaborating the breakup for the demand raised by the state government, Hooda, said, "We have demanded Rs 1,100 crore for providing compensation for the enhanced cost of cultivation, unsown area and other support measures for the agriculture sector and Rs 700 crore for converting the short-term loans into long-term loans, as there is also a need to give relief in interest on crop loans".

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