Punjab CM urges for Rs 1000 cr drought-relief fund

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has urged the Union government to sanction Rs 1,000 crore to fight drought in the state, which had faced a short fall of 60 per cent in rainfall this year.

"I am planning to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shortly to take up the cause of the farmers who are fighting heavy odds to ensure enough foodgrains. I have asked the Centre to sanction Rs 1,000 crore," Badal told rediff.com over phone from his residence in Chandigarh.

While some farmers of Fatehgarh Sahib have decided not to take up farming due to deficient rain, others, who have the means and can afford to spend, have dug deeper to ensure that their tube-wells provide enough water to sustain the crop.

Farmers of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are going through similar fate. Farmers in most areas of Haryana -- which together with Punjab provide for massive share of wheat and paddy yields --  are now looking up to the heavens for rains.

The water level in Bhakra Nagal dam has also depleted remarkably.

It should not be surprising if the chief ministers of neighbouring Haryana and Himachal Pradesh also follow suit and ask Centre for assistance.

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is visiting the drought affected states but he begun his tour with his home state of Maharashtra.

So far Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh do not figure in Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's itinerary, who is visiting the drought-affected states across the country.