Jharkhand CM for income generation, proper irrigation facilities to tide over drought 

Officials directed to ensure food, pension, drinking water and animal feeds

Ranchi, Sept 12: Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday instructed the state officials to ensure livelihood, increase income generation, proper irrigation facilities and adequate amount of food grains, drinking water and animal feed.

Addressing media, Soren said that government is determined to ensure proper income for farmers and also ensure job so that there is no migration to other states.

Hemant Soren issued directives during a review of the drought like situation in the state and also directed all the departments to make a coordinated plan for drought relief measures worth in the range of Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 2,500 crore and construct one lakh new wells and one lakh ponds across the state.

He also directed to provide relief to the farmers who are facing the impact of deficit rainfall, it was also decided to remove the ban on non-concrete works under job guarantee scheme MNREGA, and five new schemes should be started in every village to increase man-days of work and jobs.

Soren, in the high-level meeting on drought, reviewed the situation of rainfall and sowing of crops in the state. The government has intensified preparations to provide relief to the farmers, livestock farmers, labourers and villagers from drought.

“There should be no shortage of food grains, drinking water and animal feed in this drought-like situation. Keeping this in mind, schemes should be made and their monitoring should be done with better implementation,” the Chief Minister said.

He also directed for geo-tagging of all the schemes.

Along with this, handpumps and check dams will be repaired on a war footing.

He asked to ensure distribution of pension among the beneficiaries by fifth of every month. On this occasion, the officials said that there are 31 lakh pensioners in the state and 8 lakh new applications have been received for sanction of pension.

Soren said that food security is the top priority of the government and people should not have shortage of food grains. He asked the officials to sanction five lakh new ration cards at the earliest. He said if there is a drinking water crisis due to drought, then make arrangements to maintain normal drinking water supply through tankers or other means.

Officials said that according to the rainfall situation in the state till September 9, seven districts have received normal, 15 districts below normal and two districts have received very little rain. As a result of less rainfall, the sowing time of paddy and other crops has been significantly less than the target.