It also says that farmers, who were the intended beneficiaries of Sardar Sarovar Project, are being deprived of water while cities, government projects and private projects
Gujarat government is not declaring talukas as scarcity-hit to the benefit insurance companies, alleged Gujarat Khedut Samaj (GKS). It said the insurance payout would increase if talukas are declared scarcity-hit.
It also said that farmers, who were the intended beneficiaries of Sardar Sarovar Project, are being deprived of water while cities, government projects and private projects, which were not targeted beneficiaries, are getting it. Briefing the media on Friday, Sagar Rabari, the secretary of GKS, said that in spite of the fact that many parts of the state are affected by unprecedented scarcity, very few talukas are being declared as scarcity-hit by the government.
"The government wants the insurance companies to get benefits. If talukas are declared scarcity-hit, the settlement cases will go up and the insurance companies will have to make more payouts," alleged Rabari.
Till now, 16 talukas have been declared as scarcity-hit by the state government.
These include 10 in Kutch, four in Banaskantha and one each in Patan and Ahme-dabad. According to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA), the state has so far received 637 mm rains, which is 77 per cent of the 30-year average of 831 mm rains. Monsoon has almost retreated from the state and not many rains are likely till about October 10. Rabari demanded that considering extraordinary circumstances, the government should provide water from dams to save crops.
"The government is neither providing water for irrigation, nor declaring talukas as scarcity-hit and in both the cases, the farmer is at a losing end," he said adding that considering the water storage of 21.3 MAF of water in dams, the government may store about 10 MAF for drinking purpose but can release remaining 11.3 MAF to protect crops that could be destroyed because of lack of water. Rabari informed that projects like GIFT City, Adani Shantigram and many industries are getting water even if they are not entitled to get any water from Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project.
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Till now, 16 talukas have been declared as scarcity-hit by the state government.
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