Central team to assess monsoon failure in Bihar

A high-level team of union government officials will tour Bihar on Wednesday to assess the situation arising out of failure of the monsoon in some regions, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said in Lok Sabha today.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had sent a detailed report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh two days ago and based on that a central team has been constituted to go to the affected areas and assess the situation on ground, he said during question hour.

To a supplementary, he said the Centre can send a team to Jharkhand, but a request has to come from the state. "I have not received any suggestion from the Jharkhand government. I have written to the governor seeking information and he has sent a report about seven or eight districts," Pawar said.

However, about Uttar Pradesh, he said no such information was received.

Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD) wanted to know what arrangements are being made by the union government for these drought-hit states.

Answering the main question on benefits of extension services in agriculture, the minister informed the house that the schemes which started three years ago have been amended with scope the of some financial assistance to the states concerned.