Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), set up to tackle the drought problem in the country, met here Tuesday to discuss and review the situation.
The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma among others.

The EGoM, headed by the finance minister, was set up Aug 13 with Pawar and Home Minister P. Chidambaram as its key members.

The panel also includes Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, Rural Development Minister C.P. Joshi, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Earlier, the ministerial panel met Aug 17 to discuss the drought situation.

The government has so far declared 177 of India’s 626 districts drought-hit.

Earlier in the day, Mukherjee said the government would give top priority to mitigating the impact of the poor monsoon.

“At this juncture, delayed monsoon has impacted many parts of the country’s agrarian economy…Mitigating the impact of deficient monsoon is a high priority,” the finance minister told a meeting with top industrialists here.

According to sources, the government was considering a package of measures to address the twin issues of drought and sharp increase in prices of essential commodities like pulses and edible oils.

The terms of reference for the EGoM include assessment and monitoring of the situation arising out of drought and deficient rainfall. The EGoM would take decisions and approve new and innovative schemes, besides examining the existing schemes for suitable modification.

–Indo-Asian news Service

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