UP CM reviews monsoon situation in state

Lucknow, Jul 14 (PTI) Amidst concerns that a deficient monsoon will adversely affect the kharif crops, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said preparations will have to be made to face any kind of situation.

According to a government spokesperson, the chief minister, while reviewing the monsoon situation in the state, said till July 13, only 76.6 mm of rainfall was received, which is about 62 per cent less than the normal level of 199.7 mm.

There are 19 districts that have so far recorded only 40 per cent to 60 per cent of normal rainfall.

The chief minister said an action plan should be prepared to deal with any kind of situation and the agriculture, irrigation, relief and revenue departments should be on the alert mode.

The departments were asked to maintain continuous communication with farmers through the krishi vigyan kendras, agricultural universities and agricultural scientists in every district to ensure that the correct information is available with them.

Adityanath said the coming week could be challenging and arrangements must be made to ensure that there is no shortage of drinking water anywhere. Special attention should be given to Banda, Chandauli, Hamirpur, Deoria, Jalaun, Ballia, Basti, Gorakhpur, Maharajganj, Sant Kabirnagar and Shravasti districts, he added.

The chief minister said the sowing of Kharif crops has been affected due to less rainfall. According to the updated status of July 13, under the Kharif Campaign 2022-23, land measuring 42.41 lakh hectares has been sown as against the target of 96.03 lakh hectares, which is only 44.16 per cent of the target. Of this, 45 per cent is due to paddy cultivation alone. By July 13 last year, 53.46 lakh hectares of land had been sown.

Adityanath also said while monsoon is getting delayed, it is a matter of satisfaction that there is sufficient water in all the major rivers, canals and reservoirs of the state. PTI