Lok Sabha Question No. 2180 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-29
Subject: Inter-Ministerial Plan to Fight Drought
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: RAYAPATI SAMBASIVA RAO

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2180

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 29 TH   NOVEMBER, 2016

## INTER-MINISTERIAL PLAN TO FIGHT DROUGHT

2180.     SHRI RAYAPATI SAMBASIVA RAO:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  Inter-  Ministerial  plan  to  fight  drought  was  unveiled  by  the Government recently;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  initiatives  undertaken by the Government during the last two years in coordination with  the  States  to  address  the  drought  across  the  country  which  has  become  a  recurring features;
- (d) whether the Ministry is in coordination with the other Ministries like the Ministry of Rural Development to address the drought issue; and
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  mitigate  the drought?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI  S.S. AHLUWALIA)

- (a) to (c): The  State  Governments  are  primarily  responsible  for  taking  necessary  relief measures in the wake of natural calamities including drought. For undertaking relief measures, funds are available with the State Governments in the form of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).  In addition to SDRF, National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) has been constituted to deal with natural calamities of severe nature and Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) are deputed,  wherever  necessary,  in  response  to  the  Memoranda  received  from  the  States,  for assessment of the drought situation and requirement of financial  assistance.  Assistance under SDRF/NDRF  provided  is  for  immediate  relief  and  not  by  way  of  compensation  for  the  loss suffered. Assistance approved from NDRF during the last two years to the State Governments for drought relief is at Annexure-I.

Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Hyderabad of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has prepared detailed crop Contingency Plans for 614 districts in the country. States have been advised for preparing/ updating/fine-tuning Contingency Plans for each district in consultation with CRIDA and the State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and to prepare   location  specific remedial measures based on these contingency plans in the event of

late arrival of Monsoon/long dry spells/scanty rainfall/drought conditions e.g. tying up availability of seeds and other inputs for implementing the Contingency Plans.

The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was launched on 1 st July, 2015 with  the  motto  of  'Har  Khet  Ko  Paani'  for  providing  end-to  end  solutions  in  irrigation  supply chain,  viz.  water  sources,  distribution  network  and  farm  level  applications.  PMKSY  not  only focuses  on  creating  sources  for  assured  irrigation,  but  also  creating  protective  irrigation  by harnessing rain water at micro level through 'Jal Sanchay' and 'Jal Sinchan'. Micro irrigation will be  popularised  to  ensure  'Per  drop-More  crop'.  PMKSY  adopts  State  level  planning  and projectised execution that allows States to draw up their own irrigation development based on District Irrigation Plans and State Irrigation Plans. During the financial year 2015-16, a total of Rs.  1556.23  crore  has  been  released  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Cooperation  and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) to States for approved activities. Total area brought under Microirrigation during 2015-16 was 5.7 lakh hectares under 'Per Drop More Crop' Component. District Irrigation Plans (DIPs) shall be the cornerstone for planning and implementation of PMKSY.  So far, 494 nos. of DIPs have been prepared.

- (d) & (e): To reduce the adverse impact of drought situation in the country, following works related  to  Natural  Resource  Management  permissible  under  Schedule-I,  4(1)  of  Mahatma Gandhi  National  Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are taken up in the country by the Department of Rural Development:
- I. Category A:    Public works relating to natural resources management which include
- (i) Water conservation and water harvesting structures to augment and improve groundwater;
- (ii) Watershed management works;
- (iii) Micro and minor irrigation works and creation, renovation and maintenance of irrigation canals and drains;
- (iv) Renovation  of  traditional  water  bodies  including  desilting  of  irrigation  tanks  and  other water bodies;
- (v) Afforestation, tree plantation and horticulture in common and forest lands, road margins, canal  bunds,  tank  foreshores  and  coastal  belts  duly  providing  right  to  usufruct  to  the households; and
- (vi) Land development works in common land.
- II. Category B: Community assets or individual assets for vulnerable sections:
- (i) Improving  productivity  of  lands  of  household's  land  development  and  by  providing suitable infrastructure for irrigation including dug wells, farm ponds and other water harvesting structures;

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR, RD & GR) has initiated  various short-term, medium-term and long-term measures to mitigate and  drought-like  situation.  These  include  periodic  monitoring  of  91  major  reservoirs  in  the country,  launching  of  Accelerated  Irrigation  Benefits  Programme  (AIBP),  formulation  of  a National Perspective Plan (NPP) envisaging inter-basin transfer of water, launching of Jal Kranti Abhiyan  from  2015-16  in  order  to  consolidate  water  conservation  and  management  in  the country and preparation of a conceptual 'Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water in India', in the year 2013, which was circulated to all the State Governments for implementation.

A  number  of  other  Ministries/Departments  in the Government  of  India  are also implementing  various  schemes/programmes  towards  mitigation  of  drought.  These  include Ministries  of  Drinking  Water  and  Sanitation,  Environment,  Forest  &  Climate  Change,  Power, Women & Child Development, the Departments of Food & Public Distribution, Land Resources, School Education & Literacy and NITI Aayog, etc.

## 'Inter-Ministerial Plan to Fight Drought'

## Assistance approved from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for Drought

(Rs. in crores)

| Sl. No.            | Name of State      | Calamity                                       | Assistance approved by Govt. of India   |
|--------------------|--------------------|------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
| During - 2014-2015 | During - 2014-2015 | During - 2014-2015                             | During - 2014-2015                      |
| 1.                 | Haryana            | Drought                                        | 168.87                                  |
| 2.                 | Karnataka          | Drought                                        | 200.85                                  |
| 3.                 | Uttar Pradesh      | Drought                                        | 777.34                                  |
| 4.                 | Maharashtra        | Drought                                        | 1962.99                                 |
| 5.                 | Andhra Pradesh     | Drought                                        | 237.51                                  |
| Total:             | Total:             | Total:                                         | 3347.56                                 |
| During - 2015-2016 | During - 2015-2016 | During - 2015-2016                             | During - 2015-2016                      |
| 1.                 | Karnataka          | Drought Drought-R                              | 1540.20 723.23                          |
| 2.                 | Chhattisgarh       | Drought                                        | 1276.25                                 |
| 3.                 | Madhya Pradesh     | Drought                                        | 2032.68                                 |
| 4.                 | Maharashtra        | Drought-K Drought-K (Supplementary ) Drought-R | 3049.36 589.47 679.54                   |
| 5.                 | Odisha             | Drought                                        | 815.00                                  |
| 6.                 | Telangana          | Drought                                        | 791.21                                  |
| 7.                 | Uttar Pradesh      | Drought Drought-R                              | 1304.52 622.76                          |
| 8.                 | Andhra Pradesh     | Drought                                        | 433.77                                  |
| 9.                 | Jharkhand          | Drought                                        | 336.94                                  |
| 10.                | Rajasthan          | Drought                                        | 1193.41                                 |
| 11.                | Uttarakhand        | Drought-R                                      | #                                       |
| Total:             | Total:             | Total:                                         | 15388.34                                |

R: Rabi        K: Kharif # Under process/finalization

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## Annexure-I