U'khand govt Rs 500 cr from Centre as assistance on the lines

The Uttarakhand government has sought a Rs 500 crore assistance from the Centre on the lines of the compensation that was given to Jammu and Kashmir citing the massive damage caused by a cloudburst in 2013 as well as by droughts and rains later.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has also urged the Centre to approve a seven year World Bank aided project worth Rs 714 crore to boost agriculture.
In a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Rawat referred to the havoc caused to the state's agricultural resources by the 2013 natural disaster, droughts and unseasonal rains and demanded a special assistance of Rs 500 crore on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir in compensation to the losses suffered by the state, an official statement said.

According to the statement, as the Uttarakhand chief minister sought the Centre's go-ahead for the World Bank aided project, he mentioned that 91 per cent of the farmers in the state belonged to the small and marginal farmers category.
A high 88 per cent of farmland in the state continued to be un-irrigated, Rawat added according to the statement.
A cluster based project worth Rs 714.70 crore has been prepared by the state government to boost seed production, organic farming, develop irrigation equipment and facilities, post harvest marketing and skill development which if cleared will help the state achieve its goals in the field of agriculture, the official release said quoting Rawat.

The Centre had provided financial assistance to Jammu and Kashmir after floods had ravaged parts of the state a couple of years back.