The Central government on Tuesday approved Rs 1,931 crore financial package to five drought-affected states, including Rs 224 crore for Karnataka.
The package will be used primarily to ensure supply of drinking water in rain deficient states and improve watershed management for drought-proofing.
In addition, subsidy on diesel and seeds will be increased to help farmers tackle the crisis and save standing crops. Import duty on oil mill cake has been waived to improve the feed scenario.
Besides Karnataka, other states to benefit from the Central package — approved by an Empowered Group of Minister headed by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar — are Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat.
“Rainfall shortage in Karnataka, Madhya Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Rajasthan and Haryana is serious. There may be adverse effect on crop productivity as there will be a shortage of pulses,” Pawar said here on Tuesday.
Even though the overall monsoon deficiency stands at 20 per cent as on July 30, as much as 58 per cent of India barely received rainfall in the last two months because of which these states are staring at a drought-like situation.
The rainfall shortage is maximum (37 per cent deficient) in the northwest that includes India’s grain baskets of Punjab and Haryana followed by 22 per cent deficiency in Southern Peninsula.
Asked about the diesel subsidy, Pawar said additional subsidy would be given to states till September to save the standing crops. The subsidy burden will be shared by the Centre and states equally. Seed subsidy will enhanced to compensate farmers in resowing.
The drinking water package will have two components — Rs 38 crore as interim relief to Karnataka (12 crore), Maharashtra (15 crore) and Rajasthan (11 crore), and Rs 453 crore to Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Haryana under the national rural drinking water programme.
Out of Rs 453 crore, Maharashtra and Rajasthan will get the lion’s share of Rs 200 crore and Rs 158 crore respectively, while Karnataka will receive a meager amount of Rs 17 crore.
The Centre will also release Rs 1,440 crore to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan under integrated watershed programme for drought-proofing. Karnataka will get Rs 195 crore under this scheme.
Pawar said he and his Cabinet colleague Jairam Ramesh would visit three drought-affected states, including Karnataka, in the next three days.