(a) the details of the schemes formulated by the Government for drought
management;
(b) whether these schemes have been implemented successfully in the
country; and
(c) if so, the extent to which these schemes are likely to be beneficial for the
farmers?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD
PROCESSING INDUSTRIES (SHRI TARIQ ANWAR)
(a) to (c): There are no specific schemes for Drought Management. State
Governments are empowered to initiate necessary relief measures in the wake
of natural calamities, including drought, from State Disaster Response Fund
(SDRF), which is readily available with them. Government of India supplements
the efforts of the State Governments by providing requisite financial and logistic
support, over and above SDRF, from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)
for natural calamities of severe nature as per established procedure and extant
norms.
Besides, Ministry of Rural Development was implementing Desert Development Programme,
Drought Prone Area Programme and Integrated Watershed Development Programme, which have
been integrated into a single scheme namely, Integrated Watershed Management Programme
w.e.f. 26.02.2009 for promoting insitu moisture conservation & water harvesting measures
for improving production and productivity in rainfed and degraded areas. Watershed
interventions contribute significantly towards drought mitigation in rainfed areas.