At a time when many States are reeling under severe drought conditions, President Pranab Mukherjee has recommended consideration of a Private Member’s Bill that seeks protective measures for farmers of arid, desert and drought-prone areas and a welfare fund with an initial corpus of Rs10,000 crore.
The Farmers of Arid and Desert Areas (Welfare and Other Special Provisions) Bill, 2014, was introduced by senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha in December 2014. The Bill, if enacted, will involve expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India.