Union Government announces central assistance of Rs. 6,794 crore to three drought-hit states

Union Government has approved financial aid of Rs. 6,794 crore for three states—Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh affected by drought in year 2015 due to deficit rainfall.
Of the total financial aid, government has approved Rs.3,100 crore for Maharashtra, Rs.1,672 crore for Chhattisgarh and Rs.2,022 crore for Madhya Pradesh.
Maharashtra, which had declared drought bout 15% of the state i.e. in more than 15,000 villages and had demanded Rs.4,003 crore in central assistance.
Seven other states—Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh also have been declared drought this year due to rainfall deficit. In 2015, the drought has affected crops spread over an area of 19 million hectare in just seven states. In all, 18 states have been recorded deficit rainfall this year.
Earlier in November 2015, Union Government had approved Rs.1,540 crore for Karnataka which was the first state in the country to declare a drought in August 2015.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2015