Hemant Soren,Chief Minister,Jharkhand
“This year, the state so far registered 50% deficit rainfall, with less than 20 per cent of the paddy sowing target achieved. Jharkhand is inching towards drought. I urge the Centre to approve a special package for Jharkhand in a bid to deal with the situation,” the statement said quoting the CM. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren
With farmers in Bihar hit by a massive deficit in monsoon rains, a BJP MP in Lok Sabha asked the Centre to take quick measures to declare the state drought-hit
New Delhi:
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, during the governing council meeting of NITI Aayog on Sunday, sought a special package from the Centre to deal with the drought-like situation in the state, a statement issued by his office here said.
Soren, at the meeting chaired by Prime minister Narendra Modi, pointed out that the state faces drought every three to four years due to lack of irrigation facilities, according to the CMO statement.
“This year, the state so far registered 50% deficit rainfall, with less than 20 per cent of the paddy sowing target achieved. Jharkhand is inching towards drought. I urge the Centre to approve a special package for Jharkhand in a bid to deal with the situation,” the statement said quoting the CM.
He also demanded a package for development of irrigation facilities in the state.
“There is an acute shortage of irrigation facilities in the state. The existing facilities can cover only 20 per cent of the land. Five lakh hectares of kharif land comes under ‘upland’ category. If an irrigation facility is provided to such plots, crops can be diversified,” the CM said.
Seeking NITI Aayog’s intervention, he sought necessary instructions to facilitate approval of Kisan Credit Card by all banks.
“Of the 38 lakh farmers in Jharkhand, only 13 lakh farmers were able to procure KCC benefits till 2019. In past two years, five lakh new farmers were added to the list. However, more than 10 lakh applications are still pending in various banks,” Soren told the meeting.
The CM has sought more share from the mining revenue generated in Jharkhand. “Jharkhand was formed to protect water, forest and land. But companies that come for mining operations or to set up industries simply exploit the resources here.
“No attempt has been made by any mining company to restore the land. There has never been a proper effort to solve the issue of displaced people. So, I feel Jharkhand should get maximum share of the income from mining operations,” he said, adding that the state was “yet to get its dues of Rs 1.36 lakh crore” from mining companies, which can be utilised for welfare of people.
Bihar
Meanwhile, with farmers in Bihar hit by a massive deficit in monsoon rains, a BJP MP in Lok Sabha on Friday asked the Centre to take quick measures to declare the state drought-hit.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Patliputra MP Ram Kripal Yadav said the situation in the state was “frighteningly bad” and the Centre needed to take immediate steps to provide relief to farmers.
He urged the central government to send a high level team to review the situation in the state.
Quoting recent data, he said the state had received 41 per cent less than normal rains till July 31 following which more than 90 per cent of farmers are suffering from drought-like conditions.
As the largely rural and economically impoverished state depends mostly on rains to sustain agriculture, the sowing of paddy has taken place in less than half of the targeted 35 lakh hectare of land, Yadav said.
The lack of rain has also resulted in a fall of water table, making it difficult to pump water into the fields.
The state’s Shahabad region, called “rice bowl” due to its abundance in paddy, has been hit rather hard due to lack of water for irrigation, he said.
The lack of rain has also resulted in a fall of water table, making it difficult to pump water into the fields.
The state’s Shahabad region, called “rice bowl” due to its abundance in paddy, has been hit rather hard due to lack of water for irrigation, he said.