BHUBANESWAR: The State government on Wednesday claimed that the farmers are fully prepared to face the crisis arising out of scanty rainfall due to timely intervention of the administration. Dismissing the Opposition allegations that the farmers are in distress due to government inaction, Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Minister Arun Sahoo said the government is constantly monitoring the field situation at different levels of the administration.
Replying to the admissibility of an adjournment motion on the drought situation in the State, the Minister said that 23 districts are experiencing deficit rainfall of about 29.8 percent.Reports from districts said that crop condition in 47 blocks of 14 districts is worsening due to scanty rainfall which is less than 59 per cent in 15 blocks. Kharif operation could not be taken up in 3.45 lakh hectare.
Admitting that agricultural operations like transplanting and intercultural operations in direct sown paddy have been held up in rainfall deficit pockets, Sahoo said paddy transplantation activities have picked up in Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Gajapati, Keonjhar, Nabarangpur and Rayagada districts following sporadic rains in the last few days.
The Minister said that crop contingency plan has been prepared by the chief district agriculture officers in rainfall deficit areas and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has issued a series of instructions to departments concerned and district collectors on Tuesday to save the kharif crops wherever possible and assist the farmers for taking up early rabi crops.
The monsoon session of the Assembly started on a stormy note as the Opposition Congress created ruckus demanding a special debate on the prevailing dry spell which has sparked fears of a drought.Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra raised the issue as soon as the question hour commenced after the House made obituary references to some departed members, martyred soldiers and frontline personnel who succumbed to Covid-19.
Even as Speaker SN Patro accepted BJP’s adjournment notice on drought situation after the question hour, Congress MLAs trooped into the well of the House demanding suspension of all business to discuss the issue. They shouted slogans against the government terming it as anti-farmer.The Speaker adjourned the House for one hour after his repeated appeals to bring back normalcy failed. However, normalcy returned to the House when it reassembled after the one-hour adjournment.