Nitish reviews flood, drought situation in Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today reviewed flood and drought condition and directed officials to make an aerial survey of the flooded areas along the river Ganga, officials said here.
Kumar directed Principal Secretaries of Disaster Management Vyasji and Water Resources Arun Kumar Singh to make the aerial survey and asked officials to give food grains, medicines and fodder to the affected, an official statement said.
The meeting also reviewed availability of government and private boats in the flooded areas, it said.
For drought-hit areas, the chief minister ordered district magistrates to assess the damage so that input subsidy could be given to farmers before Kharif. He instructed officials to ensure irrigation and asked power department to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to farmers for irrigation as decided by the government for saving the crops due to shortage of rainfall, the statement said.

Diesel subsidy should be provided to the farmers and also asked that water tankers be made available as per requirements.
The chief minister ordered agriculture department officials to prepare exigency plan for crops.
He told them to assist farmers in cultivation of alternate crops like vegetables where plantation of paddy and maize was not possible.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Ashok Kumar Sinha, Development Commissioner Alok Kumar Sinha and Agriculture Production Commissioner Ashok Kumar Chauhan among others.