Odisha to submit interim drought report to Centre today

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday will submit its interim report on drought to the Centre, sources in the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said.

The decision of the state government has come in the wake of the directive of the Union Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh to Odisha among six drought-affected states on November 19 this year asking them to submit a memorandum to the Centre to avail drought relief assistance.

The Union minister, in a released had asked Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to inform about the number of drought-hit districts and whether drought has been declared in these areas, with immediate effect.

He also asked these states to submit the financial memorandum for assistance from the National Drought Relief Fund (NDRF) so that on the basis the information, the Central teams will visit the states for an on-the-spot review.

On the basis of the assessment of the crop damage by the Central teams, the Centre will provide required assistance to these states, Singh had said.