‘Not builder’s fault’: Gujarat minister on slab collapse in Gandhinagar that injured workers

Gujarat's state government has extended agricultural power supply to farmers by an extra two hours, totalling 10 hours in 21 of the 34 districts, to aid water extraction from borewells to protect ongoing crops amid a prolonged dry spell during the monsoon season. During the final day of the three-day monsoon session in the Gujarat Assembly, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rushikesh Patel addressed a demand raised by four Congress MLAs regarding the drought declaration process.

Four districts – Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, and Jamnagar – were identified as critically deficient in rain, while 12 were between 20% and 59% deficient, according to the India Meteorological Department website. Patel clarified that the final decision on declaring a drought should be made after a survey conducted at the end of the Kharif season on October 31, as per the Centre's Manual for Drought Management, 2016, rather than solely based on rainfall deviation.

As of September 3, 2026, the state had recorded an average seasonal rainfall of 75.43% (685.53 mm). Rainfall was uneven across Saurashtra, Kutch, and North Gujarat, with Devbhumi Dwarka receiving just 6.41%, Porbandar 19.12%, Jamnagar 28.88%, and Kutch 29.29%. Congress legislators Tushar Chaudhary, Amit Chavda, Kirit Patel, and Vimal Chudasama raised concerns about inadequate rainfall in various districts.

Patel reported that 80.39 lakh hectares of land had been sown, representing 94.24% of Gujarat's average sowing area. He assured that sufficient water resources were available for irrigation and drinking, and arrangements had been made to ensure a steady power supply for farmers. To address the shortfall between demand and supply, GUVNL had arranged for additional short-term power purchases for September and October 2026.

The minister also mentioned that district collectors were empowered to distribute fodder at reduced costs as a precautionary measure, and there were 402.54 lakh kilogram of grass stock available with the state government. During the debate, Congress lawmaker Amit Chavda criticized the delay in declaring a drought, citing the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana's non-implementation in the state and the lack of an alternative scheme.

He also referred to a June 11, 2021 circular by the Gujarat government for simplifying the drought declaration process.

Patel emphasized that the state government adheres to the Central Government's Manual for Drought Management, 2016, which was updated in 2020. According to this manual, a drought cannot be declared solely based on rainfall inequality or deviation. Ground Truthing, involving a 10% physical verification using GPS/smartphone apps, must be conducted in affected villages after verifying indicators like rainfall, crop sowing area, NDVI, soil moisture, and groundwater levels by October 31.

The final decision depends on the extent of crop damage recorded during this process. Patel assured that measures for drought management were being implemented proactively.