The Odisha government has submitted a memorandum to the Centre seeking an additional Rs 511.507 crore, official sources said.
The state government earlier on November 23 had submitted an interim memorandum seeking an assistance of Rs 1,687.561 crore on drought in 173 blocks of 25 districts of Odisha where crop loss was estimated to be 33 per cent or above.
"As per reports received from the collectors, due to sustained dry spell, more and more crop areas in the previously reported villages as well as new villages have come under the grip of drought. Taking these into account, cumulatively 13.41 lakh hectares of crop area in 215 blocks of 26 districts in the state have sustained crop loss of 33 per cent and more as on date," special relief commissioner (SRC) P K Mohapatra said.
According to the earlier estimates, the state government was preparing for distribution of Rs 416.274 crore as agriculture input subsidy for the crop loss. As the crop loss area increased, now the state required an additional amount of Rs 511.507 crore towards agriculture input subsidy for crop loss and the total requirement of fund towards agriculture input subsidy, therefore increased to Rs 927.779 crore, Mohapatra said.
"The submitted additional memorandum is seeking a total Central Assistance of Rs 2,199.066 crore from Government of India for management of the current Drought, 2015. However, the actual volume of crop loss will be ascertained after the crop cutting experiment of Kharif Paddy is over on the basis of which the state government will submit the final memorandum, if required," the SRC said.
