Patna, Aug 22 (Inditop.com) An 11-member central team visiting the drought-hit parts of Bihar for the past three days has found the situation in the affected areas to be grim, the team’s leader said Saturday.
R.K. Tiwari, joint secretary in the agriculture ministry who led the team, said the situation was bad due to the poor monsoon. “We would make our assessment in the report,” he said, while leaving for New Delhi.
Last week, 26 of the state’s 38 districts were declared drought-hit in view of the scanty rainfall that has hit transplantation of paddy seedlings. Bihar has recorded a 38 percent rainfall deficit so far this monsoon season.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to send a ministerial team to assess the impact and also sought assistance of Rs.23,071 crore to meet the financial burden caused by the “unprecedented drought”.
The drought has affected about 10.26 million families in 26 districts with paddy coverage showing an overall shortfall of 57 per cent.
