Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday began his three-day tour to take stock of four drought-hit states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka.
Many farmers in drought hit states are seeking MGNREGA work but the state government's coffers do not have enough fund to pay the salaries of these workers.
Maharashtra's Marathwada region is facing a severe drought due to inadequate rainfall for two successive years. The task before the state government -- to effectively implement relief and rehabilitation measures --is huge. In an interview with Sanjay Jog, Higher and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Tope, who is also a member of the state Cabinet Committee of Ministers on Implementation of Drought Relief Measures, speaks of the gravity of the situation
Amid the furore over holding IPL matches in drought-hit Maharashtra, India's limited over skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said shifting matches will not resolve the perennial crisis as it requires a "long-term" solution. "If you see, all these questions are good to hear, I think for us it's more important to seek long-term solutions," said Dhoni when asked about his views about the prevailing drought in Maharashtra. The dire situation over potable water in the state has sparked a raging debate over the suitability of playing IPL games in the state, besides leading to a PIL filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the use of large quantity of water for maintaining pitches despite the grave water crisis. There have been demands to shift all IPL matches out of Maharashtra.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday night discussed with Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan the drought-like situation as also the security scenario in the state arising following the blasts in Pune and exodus of people of Northeastern states.
By June 14, the monsoon should have reached central India. But this year it hasn't even covered Karnataka properly or entered the Northeast.
Downplaying accusations by critics over the Indian Premier League drought row, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur, on Wednesday, said that the cricket body is being judged despite of the good work it is doing in the matter.
It also chided Gujarat for not filing an affidavit on the matter, saying "just because you're Gujarat doesn't mean you can do whatever you like."
A big fan of Aamir Khan, the eight-year-old was inspired after he made a donation to the chief minister's relief fund
The Bombay high court has restrained the Maharashtra government from allowing excavation of sand in drought-hit villages, saying it would cause shortage of potable water for people and animals.
The entire Vidarbha region in Maharashtra is facing a drought-like situation following huge water scarcity due to drying of lakes and wells in most of the villages due to intense heat wave conditions.
This is the fourth year of drought in Marathwada in the past five years. Each of its 8,522 villages have been affected for two consecutive years.
The current political scenario in the state was like chikhal (wet, slippery mud) with party lines blurring and people must ensure politicians are held accountable for their deeds, Thackeray said.
All ministers in Maharashtra will contribute one month's salary towards drought relief in the state, where a dozen districts are reeling under acute water scarcity.
The train carrying five lakh litres reached the parched area after a journey of 18 hours.
Even as Maharashtra faces one of the worst droughts in its history, the lack of attention towards all crops grown in the state, as well as numerous project delays, shows poor long-term planning by the government contributed to the current state of affairs.
As of now, monsoon rains are deficient by 21 per cent across India, affecting sowing of kharif crops. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab and West Rajasthan have been the worst-hit regions this year.
'I wonder if they will keep it up after the elections.' 'I fear they'll start questioning eligibility -- income, age, bank accounts -- and eventually stop the scheme altogether.'
'Over 50 crore Indians are currently suffering from a livelihood crisis, something to which the whole country had shut its eyes to for the past six months.' 'We woke up only after the IPL was affected.'
A class 5 girl student died of heat stroke on Tuesday after repeated trips to nearest hand pump in drought-hit Beed district of Maharashtra.
Students of a Mumbai school have pooled in Rs 20 lakh for drought-hit people in Marathwada region of Maharashtra
At present, 100 days of work is provided to rural job card holders under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Technology and prudent practices can ensure that crop output does not suffer in years of drought.
Monsoon, the life-line of Indian agriculture, has been deficient by 13 per cent so far, affecting the sowing of kharif crops, particularly coarse cereals and pulses.
The court also directed that the NDRF should be trained and equipped to tackle the drought-like situation.
Cricket icon and Rajya Sabha MP Sachin Tendulkar has selected Donja village in Osmanabad district for development under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna.
Latur district by trains in the next 15 days while prohibitory orders were clamped near water supply spots in Parbhani town to prevent any violence as authorities grapple with drought in the worst-hit Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
The Cabinet also approved making a provision of Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) towards combating water scarcity situation and Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) towards setting up of fodder camps.
The Shiv Sena on Wednesday asked why Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar was "silent" on the issue of the controversial remarks made by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on drought and load shedding.
The Bill seeks to create a welfare fund for farmers at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led from the front a campaign to woo farmers and downtrodden sections of the society.
'The reason I am not anxious about the opponent facing me in the front (Ajit Pawar) is because of who is standing behind me like a rock (Sharad Pawar).'
'We do not have any problem, if IPL is shifted from Maharashtra this season.'
"We did not say no to IPL. We just said we cannot give drinking water for IPL," Fadnavis said.
Canada is the top supplier of pulses to India, which is expected to import 1 million tonnes more this year.
As many as 4,291 farmers in Maharashtra killed themselves in 2015 topping the list of states with the highest number of suicides in the farm sector followed by Karnataka (1,559), Telangana (1,400), Madhya Pradesh (1,290), Chhattisgarh (954), and Andhra Pradesh (916).
The income tax department has conducted searches at the premises of Maharashtra minister Bhaskar Jadhav, after he came under scanner for the lavish wedding hosted at Chiplun, when many parts of the state were facing the prospect of a severe drought.
Even as thousands of people are reeling under drought in Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is organising an Ayutha Maha Chandi Yagam on a scale that is unprecedented.
India will look for the right balance as they aim for a series-levelling victory against a spunky New Zealand in the must-win second Test.
The Mumbai Cricket Association has moved the Supreme Court against the Bombay high court order directing shifting of IPL matches outside Maharashtra.
"All the talukas of Vidarbha, which have received less than 75% of the average rainfall, will be declared drought-hit," Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.
