In view of scanty rainfall, Uttar Pradesh government has decided to declare 20 districts in the state as drought-hit, official sources said on Saturday.
At a high level meeting presided over by Chief Secretary A K Gupta on Friday, officials reviewed the prevailing situation in the state following weak monsoon and decided to declare at least 20 of the 71 districts in the state as drought-hit.
A formal announcement to this effect is likely to be made later on Saturday, they said.
The districts which have been identified as drought-hit are Deoria, Ambedkarnagar, Jaunpur, Mau, Unnao, Ballia, Sant Kabirnagar, Basti, Hardoi, Sultanpur, Fatehpur, Rai Barely, Ghazipur, Kannauj, Bareilly, Manpuri, Farrukhabad, Kanpur Dehat, Kanshiramnagar and Hathras.
The Chief Secretary has also sought a fresh assessment report from all districts for updating an action plan for drought management.