'Implement drought relief measures in district efficiently'

Officers asked to extend support to struggling farmers

The officials of the various departments should pay special attention towards the drought relief measures in the district.

In view of the looming drought situation in Chikkaballapur district, all works related to drought relief should be implemented efficiently, said District In-Charge Secretary N C Muniyappa.

He was presiding over an officials’ meeting at the Zilla Panchayat auditorium in Chikkaballapur City on Friday.

Muniyappa said the farmers were facing a lot of problems due to drought. There should not be neither any delay nor negligence on part of the officials in discharging their duties. All the departments should come forward and extend their support.

The officials of the Agriculture Department informed the meeting that since the district had received lesser rainfall than the usual, the sowing operations had been delayed. With good rainfall expected in the months of July and August, the sowing operations will be undertaken later. The Agriculture Department will be providing suitable aid to the farmers, they added.

At present, the district was safe as far as fodder was concerned. Measures will be taken to ensure that there would not be any drought-related problems. Also, farm animals including cattle and sheep, as a precautionary measure, had been administered with vaccinations to contain the spread of contagious diseases among them, the officials of the Department of Animal Husbandry informed.

The district in-charge secretary was presented with a detailed report on issues concerned with various departments. He said the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme was not up to the mark in Chikkaballapur and Gauribidanur taluks. Measures should be taken to implement it efficiently, he instructed.

Deputy Commissioner Dr N Manjula, Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat B S Shekharappa and several others were present.