A couple of days after rejecting the Union Government’s offer of a water train for Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday sought nearly Rs11,000 crore from the Centre in his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reviewed the drought and water scarcity situation in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Among others, UP sought the financial assistance for purchase of 10,000 water tankers, revival and restoration of 78,000 water-bodies, and one lakh new water-bodies and recharge structures.
Yadav’s Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis sought Rs10,000 crore alone for completing irrigation projects in Marathwada, Vidrabha and drought-prone regions in the State besides assistance for a number of other projects. About 28,000 villages have been hit by drought in the State across 20-22 districts. This includes the entire Marathwada region, West Vidarbha, districts of Ahmednagar, Solpaur and Sangli to an extent.
The Maharashtra Government claimed the magnitude of the drought has increased and 11,000 more villages have been affected. Fadnavis, however, did not reveal the total amount of assistance he sought.
The PMO in a statement said the Prime Minister pitched for focus on medium and long-term solutions for drought-proofing and stressed the use of technologies like remote sensing and satellite imaging for planning water conservation and recharge structures and outlined the importance of increasing water use efficiency through drip and sprinkler, stating that drip irrigation in sugarcane field increases the quality of sugar yield.
“CM @Dev_Fadnavis & I held wide-ranging discussions on the drought in parts of Maharashtra & how to mitigate it,” Modi tweeted. “Stressed on vitality of increasing water use efficiency through sprinkler & drip irrigation including in sugarcane cultivation,” he added.
Similarly, after meeting with UP Chief Minister, Modi tweeted, “CM @yadavakhilesh & I discussed the need to effectively utilise the period before monsoon for water recharge and conservation efforts,” Modi said in a tweet. “Usage of latest technology & community participation, particularly of our Nari Shakti, can play a key role in effective drought management,”
Facing worst drought in last four decades, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too sought from the Centre additional Rs12,272 crore funds for improving supply of drinking water and fodder. He requested Modi to release early the relief fund to the tune of Rs723 crore approved earlier to tide over losses incurred in the rabi season of 2015-16 crop year.
A statement from the Uttar Pradesh Government said Yadav demanded funds to complete potable water schemes, allocation of pending amount from the 2015 memorandum submitted to the Centre for drought and hailstorm relief and money to buy 10,000 water tankers.
Yadav also demanded enhancing work under MGNREGA to 200 mandays in Bundelkhand and Vindhychal regions and 15 mandays in other districts of UP. He also demanded enhancing daily wages under MGNRGEA to Rs300 from the present Rs250 in Bundelkhand.
After the meeting, Yadav reiterated that there is water in Bundelkhand but his Government needs means to carry it to villages. “Can a train carry water to villages,” he countered to queries as to why he had rejected the water train offer.
However, Yadav’s demand for more fund for drought did not go down well with the BJP which alleged that the State Government was not serious about tackling drought in Bundelkhand as it has failed to take any long term measure to check the perennial problem and there was huge corruption in relief works.
“The Government is insensitive and not serious. Every year Bundelkhand suffers from drought. It has failed in putting in long-term measures. It has a right to seek fund from the Centre but the State administration had recently noted that it had spent only 5 per cent of a previous package of Rs 850 crore.
“The SP Government shows a lot of keenness and promptness in putting out various advertisements about its successes which are hardly visible on ground. Had it shown some of this in tackling drought, then Bundelkhand would be in a better condition,” BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.
Talking to reporters after an hour-long meeting with the Prime Minister, Fadnavis said that the State Government has chalked out a plan to tackle drought situation in Marathwada and Vidarbha, which includes creation of a “guaranteed irrigation” plan over the next two-three years.
An additional plan to have better water management system in Western Maharashtra was presented to the Centre, he said, adding the State has demanded Rs 7,500 for these two projects. “We have been allowed to send a supplementary proposal for relief now. We also did a presentation on what pre-monsoon work that could be done in the coming six-weeks.
“This includes de-silting work at several places, improvement of structures,” Fadnavis said, adding that a long-term plan to combat drought was also presented to the PM.
“It is for the first time that the Centre sanctioned highest ever relief to the State. We has initially asked for Rs 4,500 crore, but the Centre sanctioned over Rs 3,000 crore, the highest ever in the State’s history. Of this, Rs 2,500 crore has already been disbursed,” he added.
The meeting also discussed how best the period before the upcoming monsoon can be utilised for water conservation and recharge efforts. This includes efforts at desilting, check dams, recharging of rivers and other water storage mechanisms.