The Hindu : National : Manmohan's assurance to Rajasthan on power, water

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Sunday, Sep 11, 2005

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Manmohan's assurance to Rajasthan on power, water

Special Correspondent

Vasundhara Raje seeks `special category status' for the State

NEW DELHI: : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday assured Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje that the power, water and irrigation problems of the State would be looked into sympathetically.

The State is said to be reeling under drought conditions due to a prolonged lull in monsoon rainfall after the initial sowing. Nearly 50 per cent of the kharif crop of coarse cereals have reportedly been damaged. Twenty-five of the 32 districts in the State has had a deficient rainfall this season. Leading a delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party MPs from the State, Ms. Raje submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister seeking ``special category status'' for the State. The State had suffered deficit rains for seven consecutive years. The memorandum urged the Central Government to send a team to assess the kharif situation.

More power

On Friday, the delegation met Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Power Minister P.M. Sayeed.

Briefing media persons on her meeting with the Prime Minister, Ms. Raje said the Centre had assured the State 25 megawatt power from the northern grid and 50 MW from the Power Trading Corporation.

It also agreed in principle to increase the State's unallotted power quota from 17.5 per cent to 25 per cent during peak hours and 30 per cent during off-peak hours during the coming rabi sowing season.

The dry spell in June and August had led to an abnormally high demand for power to run tube wells. ``The initial good rains in June provided a false sense of security to farmers who lost all they had invested due to the subsequent dry season,'' she said.

Power theft

The Chief Minister said she had in turn assured the Prime Minister that she would look into the reported power thefts in the State.

In response to her demand for ensuring that Rajasthan got its rightful share of Ravi-Beas waters, the Prime Minister said he would convene a meeting of the concerned States to address the issue.

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