Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana have sought central assistance to tackle drought-like situation, Parliament was informed on Friday .
So far, Karnataka has declared 142 talukas as drought affected, Gujarat 132 talukas and Rajasthan in 5 districts, Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
“Central teams have been constituted to assess loss/damage due to drought and recommend assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF),” he added. Rawat pointed out that the overall rainfall deficit for the country as a whole was 15 per cent as on August 14. Out of 36 Met sub-divisions in the country, 13 received deficient rainfall and 3 received scanty rainfall.