(News) An Advisory Committee to Tackle Bundelkhand Drought Mitigation Strategies in U.P. & M.P.

The Planning Commission has constituted an Advisory Committee on implementation of the Drought Mitigation Strategies in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The Advisory Committee to be chaired by Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission will have, among others, Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Bundelkhand as its members. In addition to the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission the Committee will comprise of the following Members:

i) Shri V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs,
ii) Shri Pradeep Kumar Jain ‘Aditya’, Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development,
iii) Shri B. K. Chaturvedi, Member, Planning Commission,
iv) Dr. Mihir Shah, Member, Planning Commission
v) Prof. Abhijit Sen, Member, Planning Commission
vi) Smt. Sudha Pillai, Member- Secretary, Planning Commission
vii) Shri R. K. Singh Patel, Member of Parliament, Banda, Uttar Pradesh,
viii) Shri Vijay Bahadur Singh, Member of Parliament, Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh,
ix) Shri Ghanshyam Anuragi, Member of Parliament, Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh
x) Dr. Virendra Kumar, Member of Parliament, Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh
xi) Shri Ashok Argal, Member of Parliament, Bhind, Madhya Pradesh,
xii) Shri Jeetendra Singh Bundela, Member of Parliament, Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh,
xiii) Shri Shivraj Singh Lodhi, Member of Parliament, Damoh, Madhya Pradesh,
xiv) Dr. J. S. Samra, Chief Executive Officer, National Rainfed Area Authority who will be the Member- Secretary of the Advisory Committee

The Specific Terms of Reference assigned to the Advisory Committee are:

i) Advising on requirements of Bundelkhand region;
ii) Suggesting future strategy for development of Bundelkhand region;
iii) Giving suggestions on Bundelkhand Package; and
iv) Advising on need for new schemes for development of Bundelkhand region.

It may be recalled that the Cabinet has approved a Special Package at a cost of Rs.7,266 crore for implementation of a drought mitigation strategy over a period of three years commencing from 2009-10 for integrated development of Bundelkhand regions in the States of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The region comprises of seven districts of Uttar Pradesh (Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur and Mahoba) and six districts of Madhya Pradesh (Chhatarpur, Damoh, Datia, Panna, Sagar and Tikamgarh).

The prime mover of the package is optimization of water resources through rainwater harvesting and through proper utilization of the river systems. Intensive and diversified agriculture is to be promoted for productivity gains in the crops along with promoting higher sown area in the Kharif season. Animal husbandry and dairy activities will be expanded as an ancillary activity to enhance farmers’ incomes to cope with the drought conditions.

Courtesy: Press Information Bureau