Haryana demands Rs 4,000 cr from Centre to deal with failed monsoon

 With Haryana facing 70 per cent deficit rainfall during the current monsoon, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday demanded an assistance of Rs 4,050 crore from the Centre to bail out the state from the “drought-like situation”.

Hooda spoke to Union Ministers Sharad Pawar and Jairam Ramesh during their review meeting with the state government’s top brass.

Hooda also demanded a bonus of Rs 200 per quintal on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy and Rs 100 on other crops.

During the meeting Ramesh said an additional budget of 30 per cent under the MANREGA would be provided, Hooda told reporters after the meeting here. “Farmers in Haryana have to suffer a huge loss in view of scanty rainfall,” he said, adding, the Central ministers admitted that a drought-like situation prevailed in Haryana.

On being asked whether the state would be declared drought-hit, the chief minister said a drought-like situation prevailed in Haryana.

He, however, said things have shown improvement after rainfall in the past couple of days.

“The monsoon season is not over yet. I hope good rainfall will take place in the coming days. If it doesn’t then the government will review the situation once again,” Hooda said.

Financial aid

Hooda also said the Centre had agreed to give an assistance of Rs 160 crore to Haryana for potable water with Rs 115 crore of it already released to the state.

“The government purchased power to the tune of Rs 610 crore and in the coming days additional power worth Rs 1,500 crore will be further purchased by the state,” he said.
Hooda said for the Kharif season (May to October) 17,000 lakh units of power are to be supplied to agriculture  at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore.

The state government has also demanded compensation for the enhanced cost of cultivation, unsown area and other support measures for the agriculture sector amounting to Rs 1,100 crore.

The deficiency of rainfall in Haryana was the severest in the country and the situation of deficit rainfall was worst this year as compared to the last 10 years, the Chief Minister said.

Pointing out that the state government was also facing shortage of fodder, he said, the Centre had waived off import duty on oil cakes. To meet the distress caused to the farmers there was a need to give them relief in interest burden on crop loans, he said.