Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Tuesday and sought a central assistance of Rs 23,000 crore (Rs 230 billion), including Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) under gratuitous relief for next three months, to deal with drought.
"We have not sought a drought package. We have asked for assistance to deal with drought. We need about Rs 10,000 crore under gratuitous relief for 90 days," Kumar told reporters here after the meeting. GR is direct cash assistance given to each affected person without obligation of repayment.
Stressing the role of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act during drought, the chief minister said Bihar might require Rs 23,000 crore -- Rs 10,000 crore under GR, more than Rs 10,000 crore under NREGA and over Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) for subsidy on diesel and other farm inputs.
He asked the Centre to prepare guidelines on how to provide this assistance. "Now it is up to the Centre how to give it, partially under NREGA and partially under GR."
Bihar has declared 26 districts as drought affected or having drought-like situation and the state may witness 75 per cent decline in production of rice and maize, the major crops during the kharif season.
He said as many as 1.26 crore (12.6 million) families in Bihar have been affected by drought and the government needs about 12,60,000 tonnes of foodgrains every months to feed them.
