THE STATE government increased agricultural power supply provided to farmers by two hours, taking the timing up to 10 hours in 21 of the 34 districts, to help draw water from borewells to save standing crops following a long dry spell in the midst of the monsoon season.Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rushikesh Patel gave this information in the Gujarat Assembly on the final day of the three-day monsoon session on a demand raised by four Congress MLAs, on the steps taken to declare a drought.At least four districts – Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar and Jamnagar – were critically rain-deficient till Friday while 12 were between 20 and 59 per cent deficient according to the India Meteorological Department website.Patel suggested that the decision on whether to declare a drought or not could be taken after a survey to be carried out at the end of the Kharif season by October 31 as per the Centre’s Manual for Drought Management, 2016 and not merely on the basis of rain deviation.The minister said, “As of September 3, 2026, according to the report from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), the state has recorded a total average seasonal rainfall of 75.43% (685.53 mm). South Gujarat received an average rainfall of 103.91%. Rainfall has been uneven in several districts across Saurashtra, Kutch, and North Gujarat, with Devbhumi Dwarka recording 6.41%, Porbandar 19.12%, Jamnagar 28.88%, and Kutch 29.29%.”Congress legislators Tushar Chaudhary, Amit Chavda, Kirit Patel and Vimal Chudasama raised a matter of urgent public notice referring to scanty rainfall in a number of districts.The minister also provided figures of sowing in the state and stated, “According to data as of August 31, 2026, sowing has been completed across 80.39 lakh hectares, which accounts for 94.24% of the state’s average sowing area (85.30 lakh hectares).”Story continues below this adPatel said that there is enough water available for irrigation and drinking purposes and that arrangements have been made for ensuring power supply for farmers.He said, “To protect standing crops for farmers, the Energy Department of the state government has increased the agricultural power supply by 2 hours, extending it from 8 hours to 10 hours. This facility is currently implemented across 132 taluka groups in 21 districts of the state, including Kutch, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Rajkot, Mehsana, Botad, and Sabarkantha. To bridge the gap between demand and supply, GUVNL (Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited) has made adequate arrangements for additional short-term power purchases for September and October 2026.”The minister also said that as a precautionary measure, district collectors have been empowered to distribute fodder at concessional rates. In this context, he also said that a stock of 402.54 lakh kilogram of grass is available with the state government.During the discussion of the issue, Congress legislator Amit Chavda said that there are 112 talukas in the state that have not received rainfall for eight weeks and demanded immediate action from the state government instead of waiting for a survey to be done by October 31. Chavda also demanded that the government take immediate action in favour of farmers since the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is not implemented in the state and there is no alternate scheme for the purpose.Story continues below this adAam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Gopal Italia said that the government should immediately declare drought specifically when a circular – dated June 11, 2021 – of the Gujarat government on simplifying the process to declare drought provides for the same. The circular was issued when late Vijay Rupani was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.In reply, Patel said that the state government is following the Central Government’s Manual for Drought Management, 2016 which was amended in 2020.In his written reply, Patel also said, “Under the provisions of the Central Government’s ‘Drought Management Manual-2016 (Updated 2020)’, a drought cannot be declared directly based solely on rainfall inequality or rainfall deviation. After indicators under Trigger-1 and Trigger-2—such as rainfall, crop sowing area, NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), soil moisture, and groundwater levels—are met, a 10% physical verification (Ground Truthing) must be conducted in affected villages using GPS/smartphone apps before harvest at the end of the Kharif season (by October 31). The final decision regarding a drought is made based on the extent of crop damage recorded during this process…According to the Central Government’s Manual for Drought Management, 2016, an appropriate decision is taken following this scientific evaluation and Ground Truthing.”He also said that the measures that are required to be taken in the event of drought are already being addressed and managed in advance.