Ministry of Agriculture has prepared District Contingency Plans for 320 districts which have been uploaded on the website of Department of Agriculture & Cooperation. States have been advised to prepare location specific alternatives based on these Plans in consultation with respective State Agricultural Universities and arrange seeds of alternante crops/varieties to implement such plans. 

Due to deficient rainfall during South-West monsoon 2012, total Kharif area sown is 802.09 lakh hectares as against the normal of 854.86 lakh hectares as on 08.08.2012. 

There has been shortage of green and dry fodder, which is further aggravated due to deficient rainfall in several States. Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation has reported that States namely Maharashtra , Karnataka and Rajasthan are witnessing scarcity of drinking water. 

AVAILABIITY OF FUNDS 

Government has created State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)/National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to mitigate hardships due to natural calamities including drought. There is ready availability of funds with State Governments under SDRF to take immediate relief measures. Government of India supplements efforts of State Governments with financial assistance and logistic support. 

Government of India and State Governments contribute to SDRF in ratio of 3:1 for 17 General Category States and 9:1 in case of 11 Special Category States covering North-Eastern States including Sikkim and 3 hill States of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir. 

Additional financial assistance, over and above SDRF, is considered from NDRF for natural calamities of severe nature and is approved on basis of memorandum of State Government in accordance with established procedure and extant norms. Allocation for SDRF/NDRF is made on the basis of recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission. 

This information was given by Shri Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha