The supreme court on Wednesday directed the union government to take up immediate drought relief works in the states concerned. A public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a non-governmental organisation Swaraj Abhiyan pleaded that the drought should be treated as a calamity.
Swaraj Abhiyan urged the court to direct the government for the effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, National Food Security Act and also to ensure that water is supplied to the drought hit regions in the states.
The PIL listed Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Chhattisgarh as severely drought hit states.
The apex court bench, comprising of Justices Madan B Lokur and N V Ramana, expressed its dissatisfaction with the government for its indifference to the matter.
NGO Swaraj Abhiyan’s advocate Prashanth Bhushan argued that the centre was supposed to release Rs 36,000 crores under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, but instead released Rs 3,000 crores in 2015. Justice Ramana stated that he realized through the media that the government had announced Rs 1,000 crores fiscal aid to Andhra Pradesh when it was hit by the Hudhud cyclone, but released only Rs 300 crores after some months.
