Ahmednagar, Oct 20: Maharashtra government has sought Rs 2150 crore from Centre to combat the severe drought and famine in the state, according to procurement and employment guarantee scheme minister Harshvardhan Patil. A proposal to that effect has been sent through Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, he told a news agency here today.

Stressing the need to amend the Employment Generation Scheme (EGs) Act, the minister said the committee set up to study the act, will submit its report by December end. With the drought becoming a "regular affair", work under EGs will be undertaken so that it adds to state's assets and enhance agriculture productivity of the land and farmers, Patil said.

A Rs 1300 crore action plan has been prepared to combat the drought for the year 2003-04, he said adding, 75 per sent of the amount will be spent on watershed and catchment area development and 25 per cent on social forestry. Cotton procurement centres will be in operation from November 1 and payments to producers will be made within 29 days. This year 130 lakh ton of cotton is expected, the minister added.

Bureau Report