BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition parties demanded a white paper on drought situation. Raising the issue during Zero Hour on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh alleged that the State Government had not submitted any information on drought to the Centre. There is also a difference of opinion between the Revenue and the Agriculture departments over the issue, he said. BJP Legislature Party (BJPLP) leader K V Singhdeo said a white paper on drought situation should be tabled in the House before it is discussed. Singhdeo said during his visit to Balangir district, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patro had promised that drought will be declared by September basing on estimation report. Even after two months, there is no such declaration, he informed the House. Though relief has been provided to the flood-affected farmers, no such assistance has come forth for the farmers of drought-affected areas, he said. Alleging that the State Government had neglected the drought-hit areas of the State, Santosh Singh Saluja (Cong) wanted to know which blocks suffered from dry spell. Supporting the demand for a white paper on the drought situation, Saluja wanted to know what steps had been taken by the Government for mitigating the plight of farmers. He alleged that starvation deaths had been reported from Kalahandi district because of the inaction of the government. Debasis Nayak (BJD) raised the issue of Central neglect of Odisha. Though a memorandum was submitted to the Centre on the flood situation, so far no assistance has been provided, he said. Referring to the neglect of Odisha in the railway sector, Nayak said for the last two years, the Assembly Committee has failed to meet the Prime Minister. He said this year the committee headed by the Speaker met Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi in Delhi and submitted a memorandum. There should be a follow up, he said.
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