NEW DELHI: As relentless rains triggered floods, landslides and widespread disruption in several states even as deficient rainfall continued to delay Kharif sowing across others, the Centre on Wednesday reviewed both the disaster response and the agricultural situation, assuring affected states of all possible assistance while stepping up measures to minimise the impact on agriculture.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah separately spoke with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan to assess the flood and rain-related situation and assured them of all possible Central support, officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.
During the telephonic conversations, Shah reviewed the impact of incessant monsoon rains, sought updates on rescue and relief operations, and directed authorities to ensure swift restoration of essential services and infra.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also reviewed the impact of deficient rainfall across several states and said the Centre was closely monitoring the situation through the El Niño Monitoring Cell, the Crop Weather Watch Group, state-level control rooms and designated officers.
With Kharif sowing nearly 91.95 lakh hectares behind last year, particularly in soybean and cotton, he advised farmers in rain-deficit regions to shift to short-duration, low water-intensive crops such as maize, bajra and moong.
Chauhan said district-wise contingency plans had been prepared with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and shared with states well in advance, while a national seed reserve of around 1.75 lakh quintals had been maintained to ensure uninterrupted sowing.
He also said the Kisan Credit Card campaign had been intensified and efforts stepped up to expand coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to protect farmers against weather-related crop losses.
Officials said Shah reiterated the Centre’s commitment to extending all necessary support to the affected states and assured the chief ministers that the Union government would provide every possible assistance for relief, rescue and restoration.
Chouhan, meanwhile, expressed confidence that rainfall would improve during July, narrowing the rainfall deficit further and helping accelerate Kharif sowing, while assuring that the Centre was fully equipped with contingency plans, adequate resources and timely interventions to support farmers through the season.
