Over 100 activists, economists and sociologists asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond to the drought in several states. In their letter to Prime Minister they urged him to implement traditional relief measures as well as the National Food Security Act and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in letter and spirit. Economists Prabhat Patnaik, Vijay Shankar Vyas and Ajit Ranade said in a letter, the highest priority of the central government in a drought situation should be to ensure the creation of millions of additional man-days of work in all affected villages.