M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Aug 7: The Palamu district administration is gearing up for managing the crisis of a draught after long dry spells and short sporadic rains.
The Manual for Drought Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, also calls for setting up crisis management committees at the block or taluka level however, since the initiative has been taken by the district officials, crisis management committees will be made at block and panchayat levels.
DC Palamu Anjaneyulu Dodde said the Task Force here is on the job. All block level functionaries have been asked to be vigilant about the situation and act accordingly.
This Manual for Drought Management 2016 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has instructions regarding drought response and relief.
It starts with farmers’ support, gratuitous assistance, waivers and concessions, cattle camps, providing fodder supply, health and hygiene, financial relief expenditure, real time implementation, contingency plan, relief employment, water resources and nutrients agency among others.
The Drought Manual has very clearly asked the administration to have media co ordination in the management of drought and situations arising out of it.
However the fact of the matter is that district administrations across the state usually keep media at bay and Palamu does not offer any better example. There is a provision of gratuitous assistance to be given to the needy during drought and this assistance is to go digitally. Here, now the importance of the Jan Dhan accounts increases as assistance is to reach the needy through these accounts.
Sources said big banks like ICICI, and HDFC have ever been seen lending money to eligibles.
Notably, in the drought of 1991- 92 here in Palamu, the then Gramin Bank had played a proactive role in the management of the crisis. The Gramin Bank then had reached out to the huts of the needy to fulfill their requirements.
The Manual for Drought Management also lays stress on surface water management and the water harvesting structures.
However it sounds like a pathetic fallacy when the administration talks about the management of surface water read rain water when it is all dry and rainless.
Sources said containment of rain water matters most even in the most of the dried time. It is a preparation for the next season of rain which has to be saved by all means.
Here DC Palamu Dodde has rightfully asked for the renovation of all the water bodies like ahar, talab, Pokhar, water stream, check dams, etc where silt and slush occur.
