The Lok Sabha today discussed the drought situation in various parts of the country. Initiating the debate, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress, said out of 640 districts in the country, 302 in 18 states are facing serious drought conditions. About 190 lakh hectares of land has been affected by drought. Mr. Scindia said farmers have been facing hardships during the last 18 months of NDA rule at the Centre. He demanded waiving of the farmers' power bills and loans. Also, he pleaded for immediate payment of compensation to the farmers for their crop loss and hiking the minimum support prices for various crops.<br/><br/>Participating in the discussion, Janardhan Mishra of the BJP said crops in three consecutive seasons have been damaged. This has been caused by an indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources during the last seven decades. He also demanded compensation for farm labourers along with farmers. <br/>Mr. M B Rajesh of CPI(M) requested the government to come out with a contingency plan to deal with drought. <br/><br/>He asked for a crop insurance scheme for farmers facing drought.<br/>Mr. Sudip Bandyopadhyay of Trinamool Congress urged the Centre to release funds for the drought-affected districts in West Bengal and demanded waiving of their loans.<br/><br/>Mr. Bhartruhari Mahtab of BJD appealed to the government to take urgent remedial measures for the drought-hit farmers. He said 23 districts in Odisha are severely hit by drought. The discussion will continue tomorrow.