Govt taking steps to tackle drought: CM

Hyderabad, Aug 11 :

The monsoons have failed this year and the state received only 44 percent of the normal rainfall. Only two districts in the state  have recorded normal rainfall while the rest of 21 districts  the rainfall was either scanty or deficit, said while addressing the Assembly here on Tuesday.

He reiterated the statement that the government has not yet  declared  many of the districts as drought hit for the  sole reason that the  farers will not be getting any loans from the  banks once they are  declared as drought affected areas.

In view of the scanty rainfall this year  the government has asked the  senior officers in the state  to take a stock of the situation and come up  with proposals to counter the drought situation in the state. The centre  has also been approached  seeking the release of funds for drought, the CM added.

Keeping in view the ordeals of the agriculturists in the rural areas, schemes have been drawn up by the Agriculture department to  provide  3.5  lakh quintals  of seeds of various  crops to be sown in 11 lakh hectares of land, he  explained.

Referring to the subsidy on seeds to the farmers  he said the government  approached the Centre  to  seek additional funds of Rs 93 crore from Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Yojana for seed subsidy.

Referring to the  drinking water purpose  schemes the CM said the district collectors were  asked to use a major amount of the funds  released under the  Backward Regions Growth Fund  for the purpose.