The Centre today told the Supreme Court that agriculture secretaries of 12 drought-hit states will meet in Delhi on January 25 and 27 to discuss steps to be taken to provide relief to the farmers and others affected.
A bench of justices Madan B Lokur and R K Agrawal was informed this by Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar in pursuance to the apex court's January 18 direction asking the Centre to apprise it about the current status of welfare schemes like MGNREGA, National Food Security and mid-day meal in the 12 drought-hit states across the country.
Posting the matter for February 1, the court also asked the Solicitor General to inform it about the steps that have been taken and those proposed to be taken in these states.
"We hope that the states will take positive and necessary steps particularly in view of our last order of January 18," it said. The bench had then asked the authorities to specify the criteria for declaration of the drought and had sought information about rainfall in these states.
The bench was hearing a PIL which alleged that parts of 12 states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Chattisgarh were hit by drought and the authorities were not providing adequate relief.
The Centre had told the apex court that these states have been provided financial aid from State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).
Funds to the tune of over Rs 1,500 crore, Rs 1,276 crore, Rs 2,032 crore, Rs 3,044 crores have been made available to Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharshtra respectively, it had said, adding that for 2015-20, a total fund of Rs 61,291 crore has been earmarked to provide relief to the states which may be hit by disasters.
The PIL, filed by NGO Swaraj Abhiyan run by persons like
psephologist Yogendra Yadav, has sought implementation of the National Food Security Act which guarantees 5 kg of foodgrain per person per month.
It has also sought a direction to the authorities that affected families be also given pulses and edible oils.
The plea has further said that school-going children be also given milk and eggs under the mid-day meal scheme.
The plea has sought adequate and timely compensation for crop loss and input subsidy for the next crop to the farmers affected by drought and subsidised cattle fodder for animals.
The PIL, filed through Prashant Bhushan, alleged that the Centre and states "have been highly negligent in performing their obligations, causing enormous damage to the lives of the people due to their inaction, which is in contravention of the rights guaranteed under Articles 21 and 14 of the Constitution of India".
The petition submitted that the drought has led to severe decline in farm employment available to the rural poor.
