Dibrugarh, July 25: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that the Assam government may officially declare a drought in the state if the current rainfall deficit does not improve in the coming days.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Dibrugarh, the Chief Minister said, “We are closely monitoring the situation. In Assam, the paddy transplantation season generally continues till August. We also have a paddy variant called Bina Dhan-11, which matures in just three months. But if there is no improvement in rainfall soon, we will have to formally declare a drought.”
He added that contingency plans are already in place to support farmers in the event of such a declaration. “We have made arrangements under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) to ensure that farmers receive timely assistance,” he said.
Currently, 27 of Assam’s 35 districts have been categorised as rainfall-deficit areas. Earlier this week, the state government declared a drought-like situation in five districts — Baksa, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, and Kokrajhar.
On Thursday, a high-level delegation led by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta and Agriculture Minister Atul Bora met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to apprise him of the situation. BJP National President and Union Minister J.P. Nadda was also present at the meeting, underlining the Centre’s attention to Assam’s development and disaster preparedness.
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