M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Aug 13: Palamu BJP MP V D Ram has expressed concerns about the drought-like situation in his Lok Sabha constituency comprising the whole of Garhwa district and barring one assembly constituency Panki, four assembly constituencies of Palamu as well.
Speaking to lagatar24.com on Saturday, MP V D Ram said, “I understand Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh is going to have a video conferencing today with the DCs of all 24 districts of Jharkhand to take stock of the agro scenario arising from the scanty rainfall in June and July and about the rainfall in the first ten days of August.”
“We all await state government to come fast on the declaration of drought in Jharkhand as only then mitigation measures will get an impetus,” the MP said.
Palamu DC Anjaneyulu Dodde told lagatar24.com that he has sent a status report of the present agro scenario and activities in Palamu regarding the departure or deviation of the rainfall here to the government.
However, DC had assured to interact more on the drought-like situation in Palamu with this correspondent but the Tiranga drive kept him busy otherwise and he didn’t share any detail regarding the drought-like situation in Palamu.
It is very opportune to mention here that the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare government of India in its 2016 Manual for Drought Management has a full-length note on the media co-ordination in drought and it is incumbent upon the district administration to have media co-ordination for every initiative to be taken for tiding over the drought.
MP V D Ram said efforts are on to plant paddy saplings straightway in wet and low land but he conceded it is just an experiment and no one can vouch at this stage as to what results it will have.
About the irrigational prospects, the MP said lifting water from the Kanhar water reservoir in Garhwa district is tasked to be completed by the end of 2023.
As regards to similar lifting of water from 3 rivers namely Koel, Sone and Ouranga for the Palamu district, the DPR is ready which is to be placed in the cabinet for the approval and the sanctioning of the project.
The two major and ambitious lifting of water project from the reservoir and 3 rivers are a big-time challenging affair but keeping in view of the 2024 General Elections the top BJP leadership in the Centre would leave no stone unturned for their take off in the Palamu Lok sabha constituency.
The MP evaded how and why the MGNREGA scheme is languishing just for want of funds from the Centre as he asked this correspondent to see the budgetary allocation for it but when countered that budgetary allocation looks too gorgeous on paper and not on the ground as there is no fund to run the MGNREGA scheme, he said he would try to bring fund for it.
