Jaipur, February 4: Senior Congress leader and Rajasthan Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, seeking the declaration of locusts attack in the state as a "national calamity". At least 12 districts in Rajasthan were affected by the migrating groups of pink swarming locusts. The pest attack has destroyed several acres of farmland, laden with the Rabi crops.

Chaudhary, in a letter sent to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), demanded enhanced aid from the Centre to combat the agricultural crisis. The state's food crop supply, along with the financial health of scores of farmers, has been severely affected due to the locusts attack. Pakistan Government Declares National Emergency Over Locust Attack.

Earlier, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had appealed the Union Agriculture Ministry to provide relief package to Rajasthan. Over 2,00,000 hectares of the state's farmlands were hit by the locusts attack, spreading from neighbouring Pakistan, since last month.

Update by ANI

In neighbouring Pakistan, a national emergency was declared by the Imran Khan government on Saturday, with the Punjab and Sindh provinces being severely affected by the locusts attack. The pests, which are multiplying in "millions per day", are destroying food which could be consumed by upto 35,000 people in a single day, an official in Islamabad said.

Apart from the India-Pakistan border region, the swarms have also affected Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, in a statement said, the locusts attack are "alarming" in three zones of the world - the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea area, and southwest Asia.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 04, 2020 08:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).