ABSTRACT
Introduction
Muhammad Tughlakh was the first Sultan to take systematic steps to alleviate efforts of droughts by distributing grains to drought affected people in Delhi in 1343 AD .The first Scarcity Manual was prepared by the British Government in 1883, which was followed by other manuals by some provincial governments (Hirway 2001), The Royal Commission on Agriculture in 1928 recommended promotion of dry land farming to promote agriculture in famine affected regions. However, the efforts were scanty and there was an alarming increase in the frequency of during the British period (Bhatia 1967).
The term drought is associated with scarcity of water, it means different things to different people. To the agriculturist, it means the deficit of rainfall and soil moisture to support healthy crop growth: to the meteorologist, it indicates the deficiency of rainfall compared to normal’ rainfall of the region and to the hydrologist it is the scarcity of water in surface and groundwater resources. According to the National Commission of Agriculture (1976). if the drought occurs in more than 40% of the years in an area, it is classified as chronically drought prone area. As per this classification, Indian arid zone is a chronically drought prone area.
Drought is one of the most frequently occurring national disasters in India. With its increased frequency and expanded coverage in the recent years, about one third of the country is either drought prone or under desert areas. . These areas are lagging behind in agriculture and also in overall economic growth.
Rajasthan is the largest state in India covering an area of 34.22 million hectare i.e. 10.5 % of the country’s geographical area but sharing only 1.15 % of its water resources. The estimated per capita water availability in the state during 2001 was 840 m3 and is expected to be 439 m3 by the year 2050 against the national average of 1140 m3 by 2050. More than 70% of its people depend upon agricultural activities. Rajasthan experiences acute weather and consists of four distinctive seasons- Pre-monsoon, Monsoon, Post-monsoon and winter. The average temperature in winter ranges from 2° to 26° C and in peak summer the average temperature range from 28° to 48° C making the region arid and draught-prone.
