Reoccurring droughts may soon become a thing of past for entire Palamu division covering Palamu, Garhwa and Latehar districts with majority of population dependent on farming. Ambitious project to draw water from Son river boarding Jharkhand and Bihar has recorded some important milestones which is expected to commence next year.
Informing about the project initiated under the incumbent regime about two years ago, Chief Minister Raghubar Das said that feasibility report for it had seen light of the day while DPR for the project was in the last stage of approval.
“A team of experts studied feasibility of brining water through pipeline from Ganga to Santhal Pargana and from Son to Palamu in the lines of it was done in Gujarat where water from Narmada was taken to Kutch. The first one got rejected but this one for Palamu has been cleared. I would lay foundation stone for Son water project in March-April 2019 and within next two years permanent solution to the scarcity of drinking and irrigation water would be found out for Palamu,” said the CM addressing in a crop insurance loan settlement camp organised at Medini Nagar on Monday.
Coming to drought prevalent in the State the CM said that report had been sent to the Center for assistance. The Government in the meantime has exempted the farmers from paying any premium for rabi, 90 per cent subsidy on rabi seed purchases and 100 per cent assistance to women SHGs for animal husbandry.
“We have sent a report for about 129 blocks those are badly hit by drought this year. 14.78 lakh farmers have been covered under crop insurance. We are distributing Rs 5 crore in Palamu, Rs 4.66 crore in Garhwa and Rs 28.33 lakh at Latehar for the kharif crop loss.
Camps are being organised where claims can be made till November 29 for the compensation,” said the CM on the occasion.
Inviting farmers of the Division to attend Global Food and Agriculture Summit
slated to be organised on November 29-30 in Ranchi the CM encouraged them to adopt modern means of farming to raise their income level.
He also stressed on cooperative farming and adopting techniques like drip and sprinkler irrigation.
CM there also laid foundation stones for 25 schemes worth Rs 238 crore while he inaugurated schemes worth Rs 47 crore.
He also unveiled new building of Palamu collectorate reiterating his Government’s resolution to bring the poor above the poverty line.
1001 girls were covered under Mukhiya Mantri Laxmi Ladlee Yojna today while 5 beneficiaries out of more than 7,501 PM Awas Yojna Gramin got keys and sweets from the CM. 11,000 women got benefits of PM Ujjwala Yojna and 5001 soil health cards were distributed. 425 beneficiaries were given pump sets while Tana Bhagat families were given cows under 100 per cent grant.
Palamu MP VD Ram, MLAs Radha Krishna Kishore, Hare Krishna Singh, Alok Chaurasia Agriculture Secretary Puja Singhal and Building Construction Secretary Sunil Kumar besides officials of district administration were present there.
