Formulate National Plan on drought management: SC to Centre

SC directs Centre to prepare National Disaster Plan, implement MGNREGA, Food Security Act to tackle drought

As the drought affects 33 crore people across 256 districts, the impact of drought on economy has been pegged at Rs 6,50,000 crore. Taking note of the situation, the Supreme Court has ordered the Central Government to formulate a national plan on drought management at the earliest, till the end of 2016 and revise the current drought manual. Along with this, it has also directed the Centre and the States to implement the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the National Food Security Act.

Parliamentary Panel raps Environment Ministry over river cleaning operations

The Parliamentary panel has pulled up the Environment Ministry for not allocating adequate funds for cleaning rivers and water bodies, calling it a 'self-defeating' approach. Out of the allocated Rs 66.73 crore during 2015-16, the Ministry has been able to utilise only Rs 37.35 crore. Along with this, the Panel has termed the deadline set by Centre for converting polluting industries located along the Ganga into zero liquid discharge units as 'unrealistic' and has asked the Water and Environment Ministry to jointly revisit their targets and ensure they are achieved by March 2017.

World Culture Festival: NGT pulls up panel for delay

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Chairman of the Art of Living Organisation, has been served with two contempt notices for violating the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) with regard to the World Cultural Festival that was organised on the banks of the Yamuna river in Delhi in March. Accepting the petitions filed by Manoj Misra and Anand Arya, the NGT will be hearing the case on May 25. The Spiritual Guru has violated the Tribunal's orders by first releasing enzymes into the Yamuna river without getting due permissions and second, flouted the court orders by terming the Rs.5 crore environment penalty imposed on him as "politically motivated".

Centre sanctions Rs 1,345 crore to Rajasthan to tackle drought

Following the review meeting between the Prime Minister and Rajasthan Chief Minister, Centre has allocated an additional amount of Rs 1,345 crore to the State to tackle drought and water scarcity. Under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), an amount of Rs 911.64 crore has been released to the State. Also, in addition to Rs 827.25 crore released as Central share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for 2015-16, the first installment of Rs 434.25 crore has been released to the State under the SDRF for 2016-17. 

Karnataka Government gets strict with 26 engineers involved in Rs 34 crore irrigation scam

The Minor Irrigation Minister of Karnataka has suspended 26 engineers suspected to be involved in the Rs 34.35 crore scam in the development of minor irrigation tanks in Koppal and Kushtagi taluks. These employees have been charged with producing bills to claim money without executing work of dredging tanks. The Minister will be soon informing the State Chief Minister about the issue and will seek a CID inquiry into it. 

This is a roundup of important policy matters from May 10-17, 2016. Also read last week's news roundup.

Lead image source: Pushkarv via Wikipedia.