Imphal, June 20 2009: The state Cabinet today approved of sanctioning Rs 4.41 crore to meet with exigency in the wake of the parched fields due to want of rainfall disabling the farmers to cultivate paddies.

The Cabinet meeting held this afternoon decided to sanction Rs 1.50 crore immediately.

The rest of the sanctioned amount will be encashed immediately after the assembly session.

In order to relieve the burdens of the farmers, the Cabinet also approved of sowing paddy seeds in 1,000 hectares of fields for distribution of paddy seedlings to farmers.

The meeting estimated the cost of cultivating paddy seedlings in one hectare of field to be about Rs 27,000 .

Moreover, the amount sanctioned by the Cabinet will be spent on purchasing 300 water pump sets of 7 and 5hp.The estimated cost of the 300 pump sets will be around Rs 1.16 crore.

Another approximate amount of Rs 15 lakh will be spent on purchasing fuel.

Twenty temporary dams will also be built at the estimated cost of Rs 40 lakh.

The cabinet also ordered the Agriculture Department to make atleast 75 of the 150 river lifting irrigations which are not functioning workable within a short period of time.

While Rs 4.41 crore has been sanctioned for the Agriculture Department, the Minor Irrigation Department is expected to spend about Rs 1.5 crore for the same.

The Agriculture Department has a total of approximately 4 lakh hectares of land.

Considering the lack of rainfall this time, the Cabinet resolved to direct the Disaster Management Department of the state government to declare drought in the state.

Compared to last year's rainfall which was 739.50 ml, this year the rainfall till now is only 475 ml.

It is a 58 percent downfall.

Generally, if rainfall is short by 25 percent as compared to the previous years, it is the right situation to be declared drought, the sources quoted Health Minister Ph Parijat as pointing out.

Fearing that the state would find it hard to fight the drought alone, the Cabinet also decided to seek help from the Central government.

Besides the issue of drought, the report of the hill delimitation committee was also submitted.

After discussions, the cabinet decided to hold election of the district councils very soon.

However, the Cabinet recommended seeking advice from the Hill Area Committee as to when the elections could be held and how other complicacies can be resolved.

In another decision taken by Cabinet today, the plot of the Central Library and the Social Welfare Advisory Board will be acquired by the government soon.

The two will be given land at appropriate areas.

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