Bhubaneswar, Sept 3 (PTI) In view of the prevailing dry spell in 27 of the 30 districts in Odisha, the state government Friday decided to form a technical committee to oversee the implementation of a contingency crop plan, a senior minister said.

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The decision was taken a day after both the opposition BJP and Congress had demanded declaration of drought in the state so that affected farmers can avail assistance as per the relief code.

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The committee has been set up under the chairmanship of the vice-chancellor of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had directed government officials on August 31 to implement a contingency crop plan for the benefit of farmers given the prevailing dry spell.

Presiding over a meeting here on Friday, Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment Minister Arun Sahoo instructed that officials should visit the areas under their jurisdiction to monitor the crop condition.

“The officials of the departments concerned have also been directed to submit the data related to rain deficiency to their higher authorities,” Sahoo said

The technical committee has been urged to submit its report by September 6, he said.

Beginning from the field level officials to top officers, all will keep a vigil on the situation as the state has received minus 30 per cent rainfall between June 1 and September 2, Sahoo said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)