M A I N   N E W S

Dole to prevent exodus
Kutch, Rajasthan in drought grip

NEW DELHI, April 21 (PTI) — Reeling under an acute scarcity of water and fodder, cattle in drought-hit areas of Gujarat’s Kutch area have begun migrating, even as the authorities in the state and neighbouring Rajasthan doled out cash and food for work to prevent an exodus of people from the affected villages.

Cows, goats and sheep have moved out of villages in the Kutch, one of the areas worst hit by the drought, after going without fodder and drinking water for days, official sources in Ahmedabad said.

But there has so far been no report of migration of people from anywhere of more than half of the 18,000 villages in 25 districts and 96 cities affected by drought, reports from Gujarat said.

The Gujarat Government has arranged the import of 4.2 kg of fodder from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra for supply to drought-hit areas, Revenue Minister Vajubhai Vala said.

In Rajasthan, the state government has decided to reintroduce food-for-work for famine-hit people engaged in relief work in 23,4006 villages spread over 26 districts in a bid to prevent migration.

The labourers in these areas were being provided half their wages in cash and the remaining in the form of wheat, an official spokesman said in Jaipur.

In a bid to save cattlehead in drought-afflicted Rajasthan, subsidies on fodder and transportation of fodder would be increased from May 1.

In Gujarat, 4.66 lakh people in drought-hit areas have been given employment and Rs 4 crore given as assistance to the affected people.

Gujarat Congress President C.D. Patel alleged in a statement that water riots had broken out in some areas of Saurashrata, including Bhavnagar and Rajkot.

He said more than 6,000 villages and 70 cities which constituted 50 per cent population in 16 districts were in the grip of a severe drought this year. Of the total 140 dams, 104 had dried up, Mr Patel said and accused the state government of not taking timely action to meet the calamity.

A report from Baroda quoting Mr Patel said that two persons had died of starvation and a large number of people were migrating from drought-affected areas.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi would visit drought-affected areas of Saurashtra and Kutch in the first week of May, Mr Patel said.