Lok Sabha Question No. 182 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-21
Subject: Drought Assistance
Ministry: AGRICULTURE
Asked by: HARI MANJHI, PRATHAP SIMHA, FEROZE VARUN GANDHI, MUZAFFAR HUSSAIN BAIG, ASADUDDIN OWAISI, C.R. CHAUDHARY, PARASURAMAN K., K. ASHOK KUMAR, SHIVKUMAR CHANABASAPPA UDASI

O.I.H.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & COOPERATION

**LOK  SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 182**

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  21 ST JULY, 2015

**DROUGHT ASSISTANCE**

182. 	SHRI HARI MANJHI:

SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA:

SHRI FEROZE VARUN GANDHI:

SHRI MUZAFFAR HUSSAIN BAIG:

SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI:

SHRI C.R. CHAUDHARY:

SHRI K. PARASURAMAN:

SHRI K. ASHOK KUMAR:

SHRI SHIVKUMAR UDASI:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE 	      ‡ãðŠãäÓã ½ãâ¨ããè

be pleased to state:

(a) 	the details of the drought affected States along with the estimated economic loss due to these droughts during the last three years and the current year State-wise, year-wise;

(b) 	whether the Government has prepared any contingency plan to tackle the drought situation in the country and if so, the details thereof;

(c) 	whether the Government has created Rs. 500 crore corpus for price stabilization of agricultural and horticultural commodities including onion, potato, pulses and proposes to test the soil of fields of 13.5 crore farmers at a cost of approximately Rs. 600 crore and if so, the details thereof;

(d) 	whether the Government proposes to allot more funds to drought affected States including Tamil Nadu to combat the drought like situation and if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and

(e) 	the other steps taken by the Government to minimize occurrence of drought/drought like situation in the country?

### ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

‡ãðŠãäÓã  ½ãâ¨ããÊã¾ã ½ãñâ Àã•¾ã ½ãâ¨ããè           ( SHRI MOHANBHAI KUNDARIA )

(a): 	State Governments initiate necessary relief measures to farmers in the wake of drought  from  State  Disaster  Response Fund (SDRF) which is readily available with

Contd…2/-

-2-

them. Additional financial assistance to State Government, over and above SDRF, is

considered from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) on receipt of relief memoranda from State Governments and in accordance with extant norms and procedures.

Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) visited the affected districts and recommended central financial assistance. The details of financial assistance approved State-wise by the Government of India from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the last three years and the current year are A **nnexure-I** .

(b): 	Central Research Institute of Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities has prepared contingency plans for 580 districts for implementing location specific interventions to sustain agriculture production in the eventuality of any extreme climatic events. Details of district-wise contingency plan at **Annexure-II.**

(c):	Yes, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation has created a Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) with a corpus of Rs.500 crore for providing working capital and other expenses for procurement and distribution of perishable agricultural and horticultural commodities such as onion, potato and pulses with the objective of controlling price volatility, thereby protecting the interest of farmers and consumers.

DAC is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Soil Health Card Scheme. This Scheme has been approved for implementation during 12 th Plan with an outlay of Rs.568.54 crore. Under the scheme Soil Health Card will be provided to all farmers in the country at an interval of 3 years so as to enable the farmers to apply appropriate recommended dosages of nutrients for crop production and improving soil health and its fertility.

(d):	Fourteenth Finance Commission has enhanced the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the 29 States to Rs.61220 crore as against the amount of Rs.33580.93 crore during Thirteenth Finance Commission. This fund is utilized to provide relief to notified natural calamities including drought. During the Kharif 2015, no memorandum has been received from any State Government seeking financial assistance from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in the wake of drought including Tamil Nadu.

(e): 	Government has taken several measures to minimize occurrence of drought/drought like situation in the country.

States have been advised to ensure availability of short duration and drought tolerant varieties of seeds so as to be in a position to supply them to farmers in case such a need arises. States have also been advised to keep aside 10% of funds available under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and other schemes for undertaking appropriate interventions to mitigate and situation arising out of deficient rainfall.

All State Governments have also been advised to initiate advance remedial action e.g.  constructing water harvesting structures under MGNREGA  and other such schemes, promoting agronomic practices for moisture conservation, promoting cultivation of less water consuming crops and restoring irrigation infrastructure by desilting canals, energizing tube-wells, replacing/repairing faulty pumps.

**ANNEXURE-I**

**LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.182 DATED 21.07.2015**

**STATEMENT INDICATING ASSISTANCE APPROVED FROM THE NATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE FUND (NDRF) FOR DROUGHT OF 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 & 2015-16**

**(Rs. in crore)**

|   **S.No.** | **State**      | **2012-13**     | **2013-14**   | **2014-15**   | **2015-16**   |
|-------------|----------------|-----------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|          1. | Andhra Pradesh | 142.97          | 254.54        | 237.51        | -             |
|          2. | Bihar          | -               | 931.87        | -             | -             |
|          3. | Gujarat        | 864.71          | -             | -             | -             |
|          4. | Haryana        | -               | -             | 168.87        | -             |
|          5. | Karnataka      | 526.06          | 226.57        | 200.85        | -             |
|          6. | Kerala         | 62.61  107.89   | -             | -             | -             |
|          7. | Maharashtra    | 778.09  1036.98 | -             | 1962.99       | -             |
|          8. | Rajasthan      | 320.64          | -             | -             | -             |
|          9. | Tamil Nadu     | 624.69          | -             | -             | -             |
|         10. | Uttar Pradesh  | -               | -             | 777.34        | -             |

**ANNEXURE-II**

**DISTRICT LEVEL AGRICULTURAL CONTINGENCY PLANS**

| STATE            | NO. OF DISTRICTS FOR WHICH CONTINGENCY PLAN HAS BEEN PREPARED   |
|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| ANDHRA PRADESH   | 13                                                              |
| ASSAM            | 20                                                              |
| BIHAR            | 38                                                              |
| CHHATTISGARH     | 27                                                              |
| GUJARAT          | 25                                                              |
| HARYANA          | 19                                                              |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH | 12                                                              |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR  | 22                                                              |
| JHARKHAND        | 24                                                              |
| KARNATAKA        | 29                                                              |
| KERALA           | 14                                                              |
| MADHYA PRADESH   | 50                                                              |
| MAHARASHTRA      | 33                                                              |
| MANIPUR          | 06                                                              |
| MEGHALAYA        | 11                                                              |
| NAGALAND         | 05                                                              |
| ODISHA           | 30                                                              |
| PUNJAB           | 19                                                              |
| RAJASTHAN        | 33                                                              |
| SIKKIM           | 04                                                              |
| TAMIL NADU       | 31                                                              |
| TELANGANA        | 09                                                              |
| UTTARAKHAND      | 13                                                              |
| UTTAR PRADESH    | 75                                                              |
| WEST BENGAL      | 18                                                              |
| **TOTAL**        | **580**                                                         |

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