Drought: Task force, task not yet

Almost a week after Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh met Chief Ministers of a dozen states and called this the most widespread drought in 12 ...

Almost a week after Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh met Chief Ministers of a dozen states and called this the most widespread drought in 12 years, the Government today announced that the Prime Minister had set up a task force to monitor and supervise relief.

Finance Minister Jaswant Singh said that the task force would be headed by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and would have a four-point agenda. Singh said the Finance Ministry itself held discussions on the drought-like situation 18 days ago even though it was 8216;8216;ashubh inauspicious to think about it at the time.8217;8217;

Singh said that the PM had outlined four key areas for the task force: making water available in drought-stricken areas; creating alternative employment opportunities for people dependent on agriculture, providing nutrition aid and help in asset creation.

Besides Advani, the special task force would comprise Ministers of finance, Agriculture, Food and Civil supplies and Rural Development.

Despite the task force, both the Centre and the states have a lot of work to do to get moving:

8226; Except for Karnataka and UP, no other state has sent in their demand for money from the National Calamity and Contingency fund.

8226; Centre is still waiting feedback on the state on how much grain they need for food for work programme. The figure they have sent to the Ministry of Food of 41 lakh tonnes will only be released once the Rural Development Ministry gives its requirement.

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8226; Some drought-hit states, including Orissa, have failed to access Calamity Relief fund so far this year due to non-submission of earlier utilisation details. Orissa is entitled to withdraw Rs 45.26 crore from the central share of CRF this year but the state has not yet used the fund.

8226; Similarly, Bihar, which is facing floods, is yet to furnish details of previous withdrawals in order to be able to utilise this year8217;s share of Rs 54.05 crore.

8226; Exact nature of crop damage is yet to be assessed as they are still banking on revival of monsoon in August. 8216;8216;The situation is changing everyday,8217;8217; said Hemendra Kumar, special secretary, Ministry of Agriculture.

8226; All 12 affected states have been asked to work out contingency plans to deal with the situation but most of them are still working at it.

8226; No alternate cropping has started as yet.

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8226; The Centre has taken stock of the availability of seeds of different varieties and National Seeds Corporation has been made the nodal agency for assistance. The farmers though are yet to get these alternate seeds.