With the monsoon continuing to elude, Centre and state governments have begun bracing for the worst; a possible monsoon failure and a resultant drought.
Nervous state governments have in fact organized special prayers invoking rain gods and goddesses to come visit!
In states like Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Orissa, farmers face large-scale crop losses, while in Kerala, Uttarakhand and elsewhere, shrinking reservoirs are affecting hydroelectric power generation and release of water to irrigated tracts.
If the monsoon fails, it would hurt agricultural production, as nearly 60 per cent of the crop in India depends on rains. Majority of Indians depend on agriculture and lack of modern irrigation facilities continue to hit the Indian farmers even as the country stride forward in other areas.
The last big drought was in 2002, when agricultural output contracted 6.9 per cent and slowed economic growth to 3.8 per cent – the lowest in 13 years.
Time also has come for the Centre to come up with comprehensive policy to deal with such situations. Even as one third of Indians depend on rain, so far there is no concrete step to ensure a comprehensive irrigation policy. A one time drought package is not the solution.