Uncontrollabe Natural Factors or Drought of Ideas or Lack of Management Mechanism??

The dredge from exports and foreign investment may have moderated, looking at 6.1% GDP growth in 1st quarter but the drought has emerged as a new major challenge in India. As the primary industry is hurt, the rest of the production chain will experience the flow-on effects. For instance, a sharp decline in farm output is expected to reduce demand for transport and storage services, and the supply for exports could also drop sharply. It would have a cascading effect onto hydro electric generation, ground water levels, inflation, automobile sector, fishery industry recharging of reserviors and many more allied industries. Even gold import has decreased by 90% as high prices prevented the people and drought further acting as a spoilsport.

Drought has even emerged as another terrorist for heaven of India, J&K which has losses of over Rs. 400 crore due to it. Agriculture production is likely to fall by 14% - the third highest fall in foodgrain production since 1964-65 and expected to impact the GDP by around 60-100 basis point.

The state governments are demanding that the limit of 100 days assured employment under the NREGP be extended to 200 days as a drought-relief measure. 20% cut in salary by Mumbai office bearers of Congress Working Committee in the face of drought is presumed to act as a panacea. Governmet promised that every BPL family would be entitled, by law, to 25 kg of rice or wheat per month at Rs 3 per kg. Let’s learn some facts that are government really serious enough?

The Maharashtra government has sealed its ambitious plan to develop a Rs. 300 crore statue, tallest in the world once it is completed to honour the state's biggest hero, Chhatrapati Shivaji. Is it really justified when the state is grappling with huge debt and drought in 2/3 of its area? And where dozens of impoverished farmers struggling with debt and poor rainfall have killed themselves in southern India in recent weeks, leaving behind families plunged even further into poverty. And how can we forget the Vidharba mishap? The mockery is that government establishment is still debating on actual number of people living below poverty line. The previous rounds of fiscal stimulus are now tickling down the economy, providing a notable boost to activity, but what about the rising fiscal deicit? “Kahin Barish to Kahin Sookha”. While Western UP is relling under severe drought but Eartern UP is under floods. But these floods are not due to rains but are caused due to excessive flow of water from Nepal. Now what would you call it: unforseen natural calamities or …?

Wih drought turning into reality, and speculation and hoarding spiralling food prices, the agriculture ministry is planning to amend the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essentia Commodities Act (1980) such that centre can take action against hoarders of food grains directly. But that amounts to treating the symptom than the disease as the government is yet to come up with a comprehensive drought management mechanism.

What shall the government do further to mitigate the adverse impact arising from climatic changes? (Food for thought: Establishment of, foodgrain banks, village seed banks, water banks, feed and fodder banks, and village knowledge centres, ….. and what else!)

As the government faces a sea of questions, the nation thirstly awaits solutions.

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