The Jharkhand government had already declared 216 blocks of 18 districts as drought affected. (FILE)
A Central team that had visited Jharkhand today confirmed that the standing crops int the state were damaged due to drought, a state official said in Ranchi.
The team, led by Agriculture Joint Secretary Atish Chandra, had visited seven districts to assess the ground situation.
Before returning to New Delhi, the team held a meeting with state government officials in Ranchi yeterday.
"The Central team visited the districts and admitted that crops were damaged due to drought. The team has sought some more information which will be provided to them," Sudhir Tripathy, Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, told the media.
Sources in the state government said that the team has resolved to submit a report to the Agriculture Ministry in 10 days so that Rs 818 crore relief funds sought by Jharkhand could be released.
The team had met Chief Minister Raghubar Das last week.
The Jharkhand government had already declared 216 blocks of 18 districts as drought affected.