17 Districts in Jharkhand Witness Drought

In January 2024, the Jharkhand government declared 158 blocks across 17 districts as drought-hit due to significantly less rainfall during the 2023 monsoon season, which was 38% below average. This situation affected about 1.5 million farmers. The government, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has responded by offering an ex-gratia amount of Rs 3500 to each impacted farmer. A meeting with Niti Ayog was held to request a special package for developing better irrigation infrastructure. The state, facing its tenth drought declaration in 23 years, now considers shifting agricultural focus to crops like pulses and oilseeds due to the challenges in paddy cultivation.