MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (SHRI MOHANBHAI KUNDARIA)
(a): In the eventuality of drought & flood, State Governments are empowered to initiate necessary relief measures from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) which is readily available with them. Additional financial assistance, over and above SDRF, is considered from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) on receipt of drought relief memoranda from State Governments and in accordance with extant norms and procedures.
Government has a well-defined system of assessing and announcing estimates of agricultural production each year. The stock of wheat and rice in the Central Pool is above buffer norms and is sufficient to meet the food security requirements of the country.
(b): Government has taken several measures to address any situation arising due to deficiency in rainfall.
Central Research Institute of Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), in collaboration with State Agricultural Universities has prepared contingency plans for 580 districts for imple- menting location specific interventions to sustain agriculture production in the eventuality of any extreme climatic events.
States have been advised to ensure availability of short duration and drought tolerant varieties of seeds so as to be in a position to supply them to farmers in case such a need arises. States have also been advised to keep asides 10% of funds available under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and other schemes for undertaking appropriate interventions to mitigate and situation arising out of deficient rainfall.
(c): Field functionaries and extension workers under Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) and other schemes are educating, training and making the farmers aware of various techniques to address extreme climatic events.
Farmers are also being advised through Farmers’ SMS portal, Kisan Call Centres, Kisanvani Programme of All India Radio (AIR) and Krishi Darshan Programme of Doordarshan etc. about appropriate technologies/ practices to be undertaken.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under All India Coordinated Research Project on Agro Meteorology (AICRP-AM) has been conducting farmers’ awareness programmes on various techniques to overcome weather aberrations including deficient rainfall.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) under National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) is also conducting field demonstration to farmers on climate resilient agricultural practice/ technologies through selected Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in the country.
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