Union agriculture ministry has declared 17 districts of Gujarat consisting 132 talukas as drought-affected.
In a reply to Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani, union minister of water resources Harish Ravat stated that the districts include Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Amreli, Anand, Banaskantha, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Junagadh, Kheda, Kutch, Mehsana, Patan, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surendranagar and Vadodara.
The minister also stated that, water being a state subject, planning, and execution and funding of water resources projects was within the purview of respective state governments. However, union government provided technical and financial assistance to state governments under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP), Command Area Development and Water Management Program (CAD & WM) and Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies, he said.
Under AIBP, all these programmes were being reformed and upscaled during XII plan. Drought mitigation measures like water conservation and early completion of projects were also planned.
People in worst-affected Saurashtra have already pulled out swords against authorities. Protests are sweeping in Keshod, Jetpur, Amreli and Junagadh with people jamming the roads and clashing with police.
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