Himachal Pradesh sought Rs 608.13 crore from the Centre for drought relief on Saturday.
The demand was put forward by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal before a visiting central team headed by E K Majhi, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation, which is here to assess the loss of crops and infrastrutural damage in the state due to drought, an official release said here.
The central team after visiting the districts of Una, Kangra, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Shimla and Solan called on the CM.
Mr. Dhumal had made a request to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also when he met him in Delhi last evening to provide central assistance for drought relief.
Mr. Dhumal told the team that the state has experienced unprecedented dry spell this season, which resulted in non-cultivation of routine season crops as there was low moisture.
He said that in higher reaches people practise apple plantation as cash crops, besides growing off—season vegetables and it all depends upon favourable weather condition.
The Himachal Pradesh CM said loss of agricultural crops had been estimated at Rs 101 crore, horticultural crops Rs 19.95 crore, animal husbandry (Rs 43.29 crore) and damage to drinking water supply, irrigation and hand pumps at Rs 376.07 crore.
Earlier, the central team had a meeting with state officials.
