Supreme Court raps Centre on drought in states

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday took serious exception to the Centre’s stand that it is the responsibility of states to declare the entire area as drought or partially in certain areas and that the Government of India has no role in such a decision.

A bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and N.V. Ramana, hearing a petition filed by Swaraj Abhiyan rejected the Centre’s argument that its role was confined to grant adequate funds to the states to tackle if there is drought. The bench asked the Centre not to put the entire responsibility of forecasting, managing and mitigating droughts on the states.

Justice Lokur told the Additional Solicitor General P.S. Narasimha, “The Central government has technology at its disposal. Can you not say on the basis of that information that you are headed for trouble? It’s not only money.

You are also under a duty to say that everything is not alright, please take remedial measures. If the state does not do so, you have recourse to other sections of the Constitution.” The bench was reacting to the ASGs submission earlier that it was the state’s responsibility to declare drought.