Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on Saturday sanctioned additional funds worth over Rs 1,345 crore for tackling drought and water scarcity in Rajasthan, reported PTI. The decision was taken after Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje met Modi in Delhi to review the situation, in which she said that the state has been affected by drought for 61 of the last 67 years. At least 19 districts out of 33 are facing water crisis in the state.
"An amount of Rs 911.64 crore has been released to the state under the National Disaster Response Fund, after adjustments of the state balances, a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office said. "This is in addition to Rs 827.25 crore released as Central share of State Disaster Response Fund for 2015-16 to the state. A further amount of Rs 434.25 crore has been released as [the] first installment of SDRF for 2016-17," the statement added.
Raje asked Modi for Rs 10,537 crore to tackle the drought, along with a water train for supplying water to areas affected with water scarcity, an official in her government told PTI. Raje also suggested creating a national drinking water grid for all the states affected by drought, the official added. "The meeting ended with a resolve on the part of the Centre and state to work together," the PMO said.
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