The Sri Lankan government has appointed a cabinet subcommittee to provide immediate relief to drought affected persons in various parts of the country.

Cabinet of Ministers who met last night under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has appointed Minister of Disaster Management Mahinda Samarasinghe to lead the subcommittee.

NEW DELHI: The former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president, H.D. Deve Gowda, has contributed 20 per cent of his one-year salary as MP to the Prime Minister

Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI: Even as the number of drought-hit districts has risen to 278, the affected 11 States have altogether sought additional Central assistance of Rs. 72,313.62 crore for relief including diesel subsidy to farmers.

Sept. 9: The state government has finally declared 971 of the total 1,108 mandals in AP as drought hit and has sought an assistance of Rs 4,200 crore from the Centre. The Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, who made this announcement on Wednesday at the Secretariat, said that his predecessor, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, wanted to declare the state drought-hit on September 4.

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has asked for the Centre

Leaders of the Rajya Kisan Sabha have alleged that the State government has not sanctioned any relief funds to the five drought-affected taluks in Kolar.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Wednesday and demanded a special package of Rs 2,000 crore in addition to a drought relief of Rs 100 per quintal for paddy and Rs 50 per quintal for maize over and above the MSP. Badal said the PM has promised to look into his demands.

The state has sought Central assistance of Rs 395 crore to tackle drought in parts of the state, Deputy Secretary, Department of Revenue (Drought Management) M S Desai said.

A Central team that was on a two-day visit to Karnataka's drought-affected areas would submit its report to the Union Government in a week recommending quantum of assistance.

Aug. 20: The CM, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, on Thursday appointed senior bureaucrats as special officers to monitor relief operations in 20 districts suffering from dry spell in the state.

WITH nearly 200 of the country

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