Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 18 2009:
An inter-Ministerial Central team to be led by Joint Secretary of Union Ministry of Agriculture, Dilip Rath, is scheduled to arrive here on August 20 to assess the drought situation in the State.
Following deficit rainfall this year, the State Government has already declared all the nine districts of the State as drought affected.
Subsequently, on August 6, the State Government had submitted a memorandum to the Centre for providing drought relief from the National Calamity Contingency Fund.
The Central team is to inspect whether the requested fund can be granted or not.
Talking to The Sangai Express in this connection today morning, Principal Secretary (Agriculture) O Nabakishore, IAS, informed that during its two-day long visit, the Central team would inspect the situation in both the hills and the valley districts, apart from monitoring the progress of the various schemes and projects being taken up with funding from the Ministry since 2007-08 and 2008-09 .
On their return to Delhi, the team is expected to submit a detailed report to the Drought Management Division for necessary action, Nabakishore added.
He further informed that the inter-Ministerial Central team to be led by the Joint Secretary of Union Ministry of Agriculture, would also include Secretary of Department of Expenditure, Sushma Nath as representative of Union Finance Ministry, Secretary of Planning Commission Sudha Pillai, Consultant Secretary of Department of Drinking Water Supply Shantanu, and Commissioner of Department of Agriculture and Co-operation Dr NB Singh.
With regard to the outcome of the meeting of the Chief Secretaries meeting of the Chief Secretaries of the drought affected States held on August 8 at the Annexe of Parliamentary, the officer disclosed that giving of subsidy on diesel to the farmers for operation of water pump sets to irrigate the paddy field had been approved.
The subsidy on diesel to be given to the farmers is at the rate of Rs 1000 per one Pari of paddy field and for every one litre of diesel, the State and the Centre would provide a subsidy of Rs 7.50 each while the remaining is to be managed by the farmers themselves, Nabakishore explained, adding that the State Department of Agriculture has already written to the Planning Commission for sanctioning Rs 50 lakhs in this regard.
Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has convened a meeting with the Agriculture Ministers of the drought affected States on August 21 to review Kharif crop cultivation and discuss issues related to finalisation of contingency crop plan, saving of standing crops and planning for early Rabi crops.
It is said that the Principal Secretary (Agriculture) would also be attending the meeting along with Agriculture Minister N Loken.