Drought lines show on Shekhawat’s forehead

The National Disaster Management Task Force headed by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani met the Vice President and told him about the measures being taken against drought all over the country. Advani was accompanied by Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sharad Yadav and Rural Development Minister Shanta Kumar.

‘‘He (Shekhawat) was particularly interested in Rajasthan as this is the third consecutive drought in the state in the last four years,’’ said Ajit Singh.

It is not unusual for the Vice President to get briefed about major calamities in the country, but it is the Prime Minister who usually does the job. The Task Force is likely to meet on Saturday to study reports from all drought-affected states and decide on Central assistance.

‘‘He asked about the availability of fodder in Rajasthan,’’ said Singh. Being a cattle country, Rajasthan is suffering from a severe fodder crisis. It got supplies from Punjab and Haryana but these are expected to last for just another month. No rains in October have spelt doom for the Rabi crop and only 45 per cent of it is likely to survive.

‘‘A special package will be prepared for Rajasthan but the details are yet to be worked out,’’ said Singh.

Meanwhile, Gehlot today asked Vajpayee for more foodgrain. ‘‘The PM promised me an early meeting of the Task Force on drought,’’ he said after the 45-minute meeting. Gehlot has again demanded release of 56 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrain from the Centre’s godowns. So far, the state has been given only two lakh tonnes.