TNN | Aug 6, 2013, 03.25 AM IST
PATNA: A BJP delegation would meet governor D Y Patil soon to seek his intervention in providing relief to the drought-hit people of the state, former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said on Monday.
"Since the chief minister has remained indifferent, the BJP will approach the governor and request him to pressurise the government to declare the state drought-hit," Modi said.
He said 33 districts were in the grip of severe drought with rain deficit of 31% and they qualified to be declared as drought-affected. He recalled that, in 2010, when the assembly elections were approaching, the entire state was declared drought-hit though the rain deficiency was only 23%.
The BJP leader said 441 blocks in Bihar have received less than 20% of expected rainfall. Sowing of paddy has been done in less than 50% coverage area. The state has received 369mm rain against the annual average of 533mm. Nawada, Sheikhpura, Nalanda and Jamui have only 10% sowing of paddy.
Modi recalled that, in 2010, the chief minister had met the prime minister on August 8 and submitted a memorandum demanding a package of Rs 5,662 crores. A central team had visited Bihar on August 12 and the state was given 330MW of additional power. But now, the chief minister is silent and did not take any initiative. "This year, the situation is more serious than in 2010," he claimed.
The BJP leader said, in 2006, altogether five districts, in 2009, 26 districts, and in 2010, all the 38 districts, were declared drought affected. The Centre sends money from the national calamity contingency fund and calamity relief fund only after the government declares drought in the state. Commercial banks would also reschedule loan recovery on the request of the state government. About diesel subsidy to the farmers, Modi said the entire process was cumbersome and this had resulted into the farmers availing only Rs 172 crores out of Rs 587 crores diesel subsidy in 2012-13.
He claimed that large-scale migration of workers from drought-hit areas had started and suggested the distribution of gratuitous relief of Rs 20 per adult per day. He ridiculed the government's claim of 8 hours daily power supply in the rural areas as only on paper.