New Delhi:
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh begin their three-day tour today, to take stock of four drought-hit states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka. The first stop for the ministers is Maharashtra.
They are scheduled to meet Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan later this afternoon in Mumbai.
After this visit across states, the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) in charge of agriculture will meet again to take further steps, Mr Pawar had announced yesterday.
Concerned over poor monsoon in more than half of the country, the Centre yesterday announced a slew of measures, including a relief package of about Rs 2,000 crore to states facing drought-like situation and 50 per cent diesel subsidy to farmers to save standing kharif crops.
Addressing the media after the EGoM meet on Monday, Mr Pawar said that out of 627 districts in the country, "about 64 per cent of districts have received deficient and scanty rains."
To mitigate the impact of deficient rains, Mr Pawar said, "EGoM decided to release Rs 1,440 crore to various states under integrated watershed programme for drought proofing," of which, Rs 501 crore will be provided to Maharashtra, Rs 424 crore to Rajasthan, Rs 320 crore to Gujarat and Rs 195 crore to Karnataka.
(With PTI inputs)