Gehlot urges Rajasthan govt to prepare for drought-like conditions

• Ashok Gehlot urges Rajasthan government to prepare a contingency plan as drought-like conditions threaten water, fodder and employment

• He cites affected villages across Jodhpur, Barmer, Balotra and Jaisalmer and seeks adequate relief works and timely implementation

• Gehlot demands farm loan waivers, while the state has announced tanker water supplies, fodder depots and emergency works in affected areas

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday urged the state government to prepare a contingency plan to address the “drought-like” situation in parts of the state, warning that drinking water, fodder and employment could become major concerns in the coming months.

Speaking to reporters, the senior Congress leader said the government should treat the situation seriously and begin preparations immediately to provide adequate drinking water and fodder for both people and livestock.

“Arrangements will have to be made for fodder and drinking water, both for people and animals. A contingency plan should be prepared from now itself,” Gehlot said.

Gehlot had on Saturday claimed that drought-like conditions prevailed in around 2,000 villages in Jodhpur, 2,460 villages in Barmer, 1,216 villages in Balotra and 961 villages in Jaisalmer. He said several other parts of the Marwar region and the state were also affected by inadequate rainfall.

Concern over employment and relief measures

Recalling Rajasthan’s experience with drought, Gehlot said the impact of such conditions had been reduced over the years through measures including tubewells, handpumps and employment guarantee programmes.

He alleged that changes in the employment guarantee system had reduced people’s assurance of getting work on demand. The government, he said, would therefore need to ensure that adequate relief works were opened in affected areas.

Gehlot also questioned the implementation of chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma’s recent announcements in Barmer. He claimed that even three days after the announcement, the related orders had not reached the district collector.

“It should not remain only on paper. These issues have to be taken seriously if the government wants to deal with the situation effectively,” he said.

Government announces water, fodder measures

Sharma had on Wednesday announced that emergency drinking-water arrangements and tanker supplies would continue until December 31 in low-rainfall areas.

He also announced the opening of fodder depots in Barmer, Balotra, Jaisalmer and other affected areas. District collectors were authorised to sanction emergency works costing up to Rs 1 crore to facilitate quicker relief measures.

Gehlot further demanded a waiver of farmers’ loans, recalling that the previous Congress government had waived farm loans worth around Rs 14,000 crore.

He said Congress leaders at the block, district and state levels would visit affected areas to assess the implementation of relief measures. They would review whether relief works had been opened, workers were receiving payments on time and adequate arrangements had been made for drinking water and fodder.

The Congress leader’s remarks come amid concerns over the impact of low rainfall in parts of western Rajasthan, with water availability, livestock fodder and rural employment emerging as key issues ahead of the coming months.

With PTI inputs