THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan and Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar will meet Union ministers in New Delhi on March 28 to seek Central aid in view of the drought and the consequent crop damage. Sunil Kumar said on Thursday that Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had agreed to meet the Kerala ministers.
“We are also trying for appointments with Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal,” he said. The duo will submit a memorandum to the Centre, listing the state’s requirements.
The ministers’ New Delhi trip assumes significance as it comes on the heels of a controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi refusing to meet an all-party delegation led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. According to Sunil Kumar, the drought has damaged paddy crop alone in 30,000 hectares across the state.
‘‘Palakkad has reported the highest damage to paddy crop - 26,000 hectares. We fear a reduction in procurement of around one lakh metric tonnes due to this,’’ he said.