Click to play videoNew Delhi: The spectre of a drought has finally reached the Parliament. Opposition MPs are up-in-arms demanding that a national calamity be declared.
JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav said on Wednesday, "I have never seen such a drought."
Even RJD leader Lalu Prasad urged the Government to act within 48-hours.
"Please declare a drought within the next two days and ban exports of food grains," he said in Parliament.
The MPs had a point. Monsoons are continuing to be elusive in India especially for the Northern states. Punjab remains deficient by -71 per cent, Haryana by -62 per cent, Uttarakhand by -65 per cent, and Himachal Pradesh by -69 per cent.
However, Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar remains defiant. He argues that the monsoon season is still not over and a good rainfall can still make up for the deficiency earlier. But he does admit that there will be a drop in food production this year.
"There will be a drop in food production due to deficient and delayed monsoons," he stated on Wednesday.
For the Government, declaring the current dry spell as a national calamity has to be a political decision. Declaring drought would mean crores of rupees to farmers as subsidies in terms of relief and loan waivers.
Congress MP from Bihar, Shakeel Ahmad made the Government's stand clear saying, "Where my party is concerned, it is too early to comment on a drought-like situation."
The next date to look out for is 17 July, when the Met Department will release new figures, when the Agriculture Ministry will get the latest updates on the status of crops and when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns from his trip to Egypt.
(With inputs from Divyamanu Chaudhry in New Delhi)
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