Drought in several places across the country has affected nearly a quarter of the population and has left an impact on over 1.5 lakh villages, the Government said in the lok Sabha on Tuesday as it sought a "national consensus" on the contentious issues like the inter-linking of rivers. Replying to the debate amid din and repeated disruptions by Congress members, Rural Development Minister Birender Singh said 313 districts, 1,58,205 villages and 4,44,280 dwellings in the country have been hit by drought.
Cutting across party lines, MPs urged the government to give loan waiver for farmers. The members also emphasised the need for working on war-footing to ensure that people do not suffer for want of drinking water.
"There is no lack of funds. On vote of account we have already given Rs 564 crore to drought-affected states. As per the sharing pattern, the state has to contribute 50 per cent to the share. We have sent Rs 1900 crore to the states.
"This means the states have Rs 3800 crore to deal with the situation. Of this, 10 per cent could be used for anything which relates to combating of drought and 15 per cent is for operation and maintainance,"
the minister said.
Birender Singh also emphasised on having a national consensus to deal with the issue of drought. "There needs to be a national consensus to deal with the problem of drought....On inter-linking of rivers," he said.
The House saw verbal duels between the Congress members and the Minister. Singh, who was in Congress before the last lok Sabha polls, hit out at his erstwhile party colleagues, saying he knows everything about the party and should not be compelled to "open my mouth".
Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in the lok Sabha, said that 35 speakers were still left to speak on the drought and the minister was already giving his reply. His party colleagues resorted to sloganeering.
Hitting out at Congress, the minister said those who are standing and sloganeering did not care for farmers.
If you want to stage a dharna, then you can do it outside, near the Mahatma Gandhi's statue, in 45 degree Celsius temperature. But they want to protest here so that they do not sweat and also disrupt the House," Singh said.
Aparupa Poddar (TMC) Chandrakant Khaire (Shiv Sena), Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) A P Jithender Reddy (TRS), Pritam Munde (BJP), Dharmendra Yadav (SP), Prem Singh Chandumajra (SAD) and Pralhad Joshi (BJP) participated in the debate urging for loan waiver to the farmers and delivery of water to the drought affected areas in war footing.