Govt asks 6 states to submit report on drought situation

New Delhi: The Government on Thursday asked six states, including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, to immediately inform the Centre about drought-affected districts and submit memorandum seeking financial assistance.

"In view of a sustained dry spell during the last Kharif season, as also in the early Rabi period in some part of the country, the Centre has asked the affected states to submit memorandum for drought assistance immediately", the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry asked the governments of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to apprise the Centre about the number of drought-affected districts and whether drought has been declared in these areas or not.

The states have also been asked to submit the financial memorandum for assistance from National Drought Relief Fund (NDRF), it added.

The Ministry also said that on the receipt of these informations, the Central team will visit the states to take stock of the situation and assess the assistance required.

So far, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have approached the Centre seeking financial assistance for drought relief work. The Central teams have visited three of them and is currently on tour of Maharashtra for assessing quantum of assistance required, the statement added.