CWC Meets to Find Ways to Tackle Drought
Worried over drought situation that is likely to affect its electoral prospects in forthcoming assembly polls in four states, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Wednesday met to find ways and means to tackle the situation.
In the meeting which was presided over by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh among others, a decision was taken to ask government to gear up measures to deal with the problem.
It should be noted that the meeting was held at a time when elections in four states – Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh – are due. Of the four, Maharashtra and Jharkhand have already been declared drought hit, partly or wholly.
In the meeting, Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, AK Antony, P Chidambaram and Veerappa Moily were present in addition to chief ministers of Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Goa, Rajasthan, Delhi and Assam.
The country has witnessed rainfall deficiency of 29% and the number of districts reeling under drought or drought-like condition has gone up to 207.
The CWC had discussed the issue of price rise at its meeting in June when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had explained to the members the international economic scenario vis-a-vis the status of economy in the country.
With summer crops being affected because of deficient rains, the party apprehends that prices of foodgrains could rise further if winter crops too are hit.
