Funds no constraint: PM

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 25. The Government today made it clear that it was reluctant to declare the present drought affecting 10 or 11 States in varying degrees of severity as a national calamity, although at an all-party meeting here there was a general consensus that this should be done.

Some Opposition leaders - Mr. Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) and Mr. Raghuvansh Prasad (Rashtriya Janata Dal) - were openly critical of the Centre saying the Government did not respond positively to the many suggestions made by the Opposition at the meeting which lasted nearly two hours.

Mr. Pramod Mahajan, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, who briefed mediapersons later, began by saying there was a consensus that the drought should be seen as a national calamity and all parties should rise above party politics to fight it. However, when asked whether the Government was about to declare the drought as a national calamity, he said ``there was no need to go into legalities, everyone knows it is a calamity.''

The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, who presided, assured all parties that lack of funds would not be allowed to hamper relief work in the affected regions. He gave a brief account of the situation and then summed up later.

Leaders of 21 political parties spoke at the meeting which lasted nearly two hours, and these included the Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, the CPI(M) leader, Mr. Somnath Chatterji, Mr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD), Mr. Sharad Pawar (NCP), Mr. Naveen Patnaik (BJD), Mr. Yerran Naidu (TDP) and Ms. Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress). The Prime Minister spoke briefly on the situation and then summed up on what steps the government was planning to take.

Mr. Shanta Kumar, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, announced that the Government had already released over 5 lakh tons of foodgrains to Rajasthan at Below Poverty Line prices to urgent distribution to the drought affected, while for Gujarat 1.37 lakh tons of rice and 2.21 lakh tons of wheat had been released in response to specific requests from these state governments. This alone would cost the Centre Rs. 421 crores in additional subsidy. Foodgrains would also be released to other States.

At the suggestion of the Opposition, it was agreed that all MPs would contribute one month's salary to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund from where recently Rajasthan had been given Rs. 20 crores and Gujarat Rs. 10 crores.

Another suggestion, that a task force be immediately set up to monitor the situation was reportedly turned down. The Prime Minister said the Cabinet Secretary was already heading a group just for this, and he did not see the need for another taskforce.

Mr. Vajpayee is understood to have said that only six per cent of rainfall in the country was harvested, and there was need to do much more in this area.

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Rs. 954 cr. released

NEW DELHI, APRIL 25. The Centre today said it has released Rs. 954.43 crores as assistance to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to tide over the severe drought, even as Railways announced free transportation of fodder and water to Gujarat and Rajasthan. As many as 9,421 villages in 17 districts of Gujarat and 23,406 villages in 26 districts of Rajasthanhave been affected.

- PTI

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