Government releases Rs 400 crore drought fund

New Delhi: With Bundelkhand region reeling under severe drought, the Centre has released Rs 400 crore as part of a relief package to the affected area which covers significant parts of both politically crucial UP and MP. Government think tank Niti Aayog had earlier this month held a high level meeting with top officials of agriculture, drinking water & sanitation and other concerned ministries to review the situation in Bundelkhand.

The decision to release the funds was taken during this meeting, official sources said. In addition to this, several measures to counter the drought situation there are said to have been suggested by Niti Aayog like building of check dams and conservation of water.

The relief package for Bundelkhand is understood to have also focussed on the importance of providing monetary relief to farmers in the region owing to crop losses which they have suffered over the years. Several districts of Madhya Pradesh which fall under Bundelkhand like Sagar, Chhatarpur, Damoh, Tikamgarh and Panna are facing severe drought, as are the districts of Uttar Pradesh which come in the region like Mahoba, Banda and Jhansi among others.

While the relief package is expected in one way bring succour to the region, at the same time it could serve as a potent political move what with Lok Sabha polls less than a year away. How much significance the Narendra Modi-led NDA regime attaches to the region could be gauged from the fact that in February this year the Prime minister had announced a defence industrial corridor for Bundelkhand which would link Agra, Aligarh, Jhansi and Chitrakoot belts and bring in investments worth Rs 20,000 crore there as well as employment opportunities. In 2016 also when the region had faced drought, the Prime Minister had formed a high level committee under chairmanship of home minister Rajnath Singh to look into the relief measures for Bundelkhand.

That committee had suggested a sum of Rs 1,304 crore to be given for drought relief to Uttar Pradesh under National Disaster Relief Fund.