Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested the Central inter-Ministerial team on drought, which had visited Odisha earlier this month, to submit its report to the Centre at the earliest, thereby facilitating speedy release of Central assistance to the State.
The Minister made the request to the team head and Ministry of Agriculture
Joint Secretary KS Srinivas who called on the Minister in New Delhi.
Srinivas briefed the Minister about the visit of the team and intenstity of the drought and status of farmers’ community in Odisha, a Government Press release stated.
Pradhan advised the team head to expeditiously submit its report which would facilitate speedy disbursal of financial grant and associated compensation to the distressed farming and agrarian community of Odisha.
The Minister also stressed upon the need to favourably consider the demand of the State Government with respect to input subsidy claims and modifying the NREGS guidelines, which inter-alia include increasing the wages and number of man-days under the scheme.
The Minister also suggested that the request of the State Government with respect to providing financial relief to the farmers by way of providing moratorium on repayment of loan and interest subvention should also be favourably considered.