Odisha govt to declare drought-hit areas in November

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will declare the areas which have been affected by drought in the State in the month of November.

"We have asked the district collectors to submit report by October 22, following which drought-hit areas would be declared after October 31," said Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi after a drought review meeting on Thursday.

As many as 98 blocks in several districts of the State like Bolangir, Nuapada and Bargarh are worst hit. As per the reports of the collectors, the drought-hit areas would be indentified, Padhi added.

According to sources, a team led by Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi is already on a visit to western Odisha to review the drought situation in the districts. The team will submit a report to the respective district collectors by October 15. It will also submit a detailed report to the State government by October end, informed sources.

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Earlier in 2016, the State government had given special monetary assistance of Rs 100 per quintal of paddy to farmers affected due to drought. The compensation amount was then directly credited to the bank accounts of the farmers.