Much can be done for the drought-hit

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s directive to all ministries to coordinate with state governments to monitor the drought situation on a weekly basis is heartening, only this needs to be done on a war footing every single day.

Dr Singh’s initiative is even more welcome because in two of the worst-hit states — Maharashtra and Karnataka — politicians and ministers are too busy politicking to even notice the growing crisis. Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar is sulking over political issues related to his NCP and not attending office — at a time when the situation on the monsoon (and therefore agricultural) front is so fraught with impending calamity and human misery. Inflation is now only a secondary worry.
Rains are still expected at the end of July and August and many farmers have not done resowing yet, so giving loans, providing seeds for alternate short duration crops like maize, fodder and tuar, and fertilisers and other crop-related work will have to be done immediately. The government claims it has a strategy, but its efficacy lies in implementation. For instance, Rs 4,524 crores has been released for affected people under the National Relief Fund and Rs 12,000 crores has already been released to states under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Resowing and other activities has to be taken up under NREGA. Perhaps the Prime Minister should seek a report on how this money is spent, and have it audited simultaneously.
The ground reality is that after the first sowing got destroyed by the absence of rains, farmers got little or no help for resowing. Already indebted farmers who are not eligible for loans have pledged their womenfolk’s gold ornaments: one urban corporate bank in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha district is said to have given Rs 900 crores in loans against such pledged gold. This shows there was no help available to these farmers; now if the second sowing also ends in disaster or less productivity, they will not be able to retrieve their gold. This could be the situation in many of the drought-stricken states.
There is a need for the PMO to get the agricultural officer in every district affected by drought to go directly to farmers, find out what they need and ensure it is delivered. That is the only way farmers will be able to get help when they need it. The help of farmers’ organisations and genuine NGOs can be taken if needed.
Farmers have for long been asking for changes in the crop insurance policy in tune with their needs. But the state governments are simply not taking the initiative to make this possible. Perhaps the PMO could also look into this, as it could provide some cushion against total disaster.