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Ajit says drought situation as 'very serious'

Rejecting the demand for full central control over calamity relief, the government on Friday announced in Lok Sabha it will provide all possible assistance, including postponement of farm loan recovery in 12 drought affected states, to mitigate the plight of people.

Replying to a two-day debate on drought and floods in various parts of the country, Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh said the onus for controlling, managing and executing such relief was on states as they alone were in a position to identify the areas worst affected by natural calamities.

Terming the drought situation as ''very serious'', he said among the badly hit were western Uttar Pradesh, Bundelkhand area, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi as also Karnataka, Kerala, Nagaland and Orissa.

Asking the affected states to immediately start utilising the Calamity Relief Fund, Singh said the Centre has already taken steps for extending benefits under the fund to all farmers in affected areas instead of confining it to those having land up to 200,000 hectares.

The minister said the Centre is also ready to release the next installment of CRF, which would be due only in October.

If CRF is inadequate, steps would be taken to provide help under National Calamity Contingency Fund, he said.

Regarding the demand for waiving of loans and writing-off of loans, he said he is in the process of discussing the matter with the finance minister as it involves much wider arena and different authorities.

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