Uttar Pradesh: 14 more districts, including Lucknow, hit by drought

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh has said 14 more districts, including Lucknow, are drought-hit. With this, more than two thirds of the state districts have now been declared drought-hit, an official said on Tuesday.

Officials said the drought in 58 of the 75 districts was due to scanty rainfall. The below average rainfall during the monsoon months has rendered a blow to agriculture and the paddy crop has been devastated in 53 districts, officials said, adding the drought was more severe in five districts.

The rainfall has been only 40 percent of the average, a senior official told IANS.

Thirty four districts have received 40-60 percent rainfall, while only five districts have received adequate rainfall. The new districts added to the drought list are Sant Ravidas Nagar, Mirzapur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Ghazipur, Gorakhpur, Baghpat, Sultanpur, Rae Bareli, Moradabad, Gonda, Hathras, Shahjahanpur and Chandauli.

Officials said the districts facing acute drought conditions include Rampur, Meerut, Budaun, Saharanpur, Etah, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Hapur, Mainpuri, besides others.

Earlier in September, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav declared 40 districts as drought hit and suspended all revenue realisation in these districts.

He also demanded Rs 6,061 crore package from the Centre for dealing with the natural calamity.

"Forty districts in the state witnessed less than 50 per cent of the normal rains due to which CM has declared them drought hit. Revenue realisation has been suspended in these districts till March 31, 2015," an official release had said.

"To deal with the drought, the state has demanded special package of Rs 6,061 crore from the Centre for giving subsidy to farmers and providing relief to them," it said.

The districts which were declared drought hit in September included- Kanpur, Unnao, Amethi, Muzaffarnagar, Deoria, Azamgarh, Faizabad, Saharanpur, Badaun, Kannauj, Rampur, Bareilly, Etawah, Firozabad, Mainpuri besides others.

IANS