Drought: SC unhappy with 'ostrich like attitude' of govt, states

While it said that the government cannot merely wash its hand off everything, it sent out a stern warning to the states.

The Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and N.V. Ramana was quoted in the media as saying, "Can we afford to ignore the plight of such a large population?"

"The ostensible purpose of introducing this concept [of federalism] is to enable the Union of India to wash its hands of in matters concerning drought declaration and to give enough elbow room to a State Government to decide whether to declare a drought or not," the apex court said.

The court said that the three states, Gujarat, Bihar and Haryana were not even willing to acknowledge the problem and said that a candid admission wouldn't have done any harm to their reputation.

"A candid admission does not imply a loss of face or invite imputations of ineffective governance – it is an acknowledgement of reality. An ostrich-like attitude is a pity. The sound of silence coming from these States subjects the vulnerable to further distress," it said.

The court also asserted that the states robbed the farmers of their rights.

"The adverse or negative impact of a delayed declaration of drought affects the common person, particularly women and children, and postpones the assistance that is needed. It also puts an undue strain on the resources of the State and the Union governments," the apex court said.

The bench ordered the government to form a National Disaster Response Force within six months with special cadres and address the problem.
  
It also asked them to set up a Disaster Mitigation Fund within three months and to frame a National Plan on risk assessment.