As scarcity looms, Gujarat makes ₹469-cr crop insurance provision

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Monday informed that the State government has started preparations for implementing crop insurance scheme under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana owing to crop loss due to water scarcity. A provision of ₹469.32 crore has been made for the same.

Despite two successive years of drought, the State administration estimates the crop production in the State to be around 95 per cent of the normal.

At a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the drought and water scarcity affected parts of Gujarat, the Chief Minister mentioned that the State government has also made a total payment of ₹105 crore, for 18.14 lakh man-days, from April 1 to till date under MGNREGA as scarcity-hit regions grappled with unemployment and poverty.

However, she also raised a demand of ₹500 crore from the Centre and urged the Prime Minister to immediately release it.

At present, a total of 2.7 lakh ‘shramyogis’ are working and it may be increased to 3.5 lakh daily, Patel informed the Prime Minister.

The meeting, where senior officials from the Centre and the State were also present, saw presentations on the steps being taken for drought relief.

The Chief Minister further said that out of the 33 districts of the State, six have been announced as drought-affected. A population of around 22 lakh in the districts of Jamnagar, Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Porbandar, Rajkot and Banaskantha has been affected.

As the drought situation turned severe because of depleting water storage levels at various reservoirs in the State, the Chief Minister apprised the Prime Minister about the long-term drought mitigation measures taken in Gujarat.

These included large-scale water conservation programmes such as State water-supply grid and large network of canals.

Elaborating on the State’s efforts on water conservation, recharge and creation of water bodies, the Chief Minister further maintained that 1.68 lakh check-dams, 2.74 lakh farm ponds, 1.25 lakh ‘bori bandhs’ have been made with a combined storage capacity of 42.3 billion cubic feet, which is aimed to benefit 6.32 lakh hectares.

The State government had constituted a Cabinet sub-committee for drought relief on September 23, 2015, and regular review meetings are being conducted since April 2016.

Amid the water scarcity, drinking water supply posed the major challenge for the administration. According to the government, currently, piped water supply is being provided to 77 per cent of households in the State.

In spite of deficient rainfall for the second consecutive year, the work done on the State water grid has resulted in only a few tankers being required for water distribution in some remote areas, a statement from the Gujarat government said.

The Prime Minister, while appreciating this effort, called for further action to completely eliminate the need for water supply through tankers, it added.

On the fodder availability in the State, the Chief Minister maintained that the State government distributed fodder at the rate of ₹2 per kg in scarcity-affected districts through 120 grass-distribution centres.

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