Question raised in Rajya Sabha on Contingency plans for farmers to tackle with natural calamities, 29/07/2016. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has prepared District Agricultural Contingency Plans (DACP) to tackle any eventuality in agriculture sector including horticulture, livestock, poultry, and fisheries. These plans provide suitable technological interventions to minimize the losses due to weather aberrations viz. droughts, floods, cyclones, hailstorms, heat and cold waves etc. So far, contingency plans for 614 districts of the country have been prepared.

Question raised in Rajya Sabha on Compensation for drought affected farmers, 29/07/2016. The details regarding assistance approved from NDRF during the Financial Year 2015-16 for drought affected States on the basis of the Memoranda received is at Annexure. The State Governments are to take utmost care and ensure that all individual beneficiary-oriented assistance from SDRF/NDRF is necessarily/mandatorily disbursed through the bank account of the beneficiary.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Water Treatment, 28/07/2016. As reported by the States in the online Integrated Management Information System of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, there exist 2,230 water quality testing laboratories at the State, District, Sub-Divisional, Block levels and also certain mobile water testing laboratories. State/UT-wise details of water quality testing laboratories including Chhattisgarh State is at Annexure.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Water Projects, 28/07/2016. Water Resources Project are planned, funded, executed and maintained by the State Governments themselves as per their own resources and priority.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Restoration of Water Bodies, 28/07/2016. Water Resources Projects are planned, funded, executed and maintained by the State Governments themselves as per their own resources and priority.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on New Power Plants, 28/07/2016. As per Section 7 of the Electricity Act 2003, any generating company may establish, operate and maintain a generating station without obtaining a license/permission under this Act, if it complies with the technical standards relating to connectivity with the grid. Accordingly, sanction of the Government is not required for setting up of thermal power projects.