NEW DELHI: It is still not certain whether the monsoons will be as "good" this year as early forecasts suggest, but at least the rains are here and are making their way across India, bringing long-awaited and direly needed succor to millions in 13 drought-ravaged states. It comes as a massive relief that people in the worst-hit areas will have water to drink and so will their animals who were otherwise dying of thirst in the thousands.
What is troubling though is that even as farmers from Bundelkhand are still making their way to Delhi to toil as labourers, the drought is a rapidly fading subject in the national conversation, with everyone convinced that the rain gods will take care of everything.
Sure the rain will ease water shortages, but literally millions of farmers will not have food or jobs until October, when they harvest the Kharif crops such as millet and rice. Nor will their animals have fodder until then. Activists have pointed out that farmers — who have not received compensation for crop losses and have not been able to avail of fresh loans because the repayment period on their previous crop loans hasn’t been extended, will have a very tough time preparing for the next sowing season.
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