On Thursday, a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) delegation headed by former chief minister Shibu Soren met governor K. Shankarnarayan and demanded that relief work be expedited and that the state be declared famine affected.

The governor has written a letter to central Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar seeking additional 17,500 tonnes of food grains to distribute among poor families.

All the districts of the state have been declared drought affected. Jharkhand has sought a Rs.400 crore package from the central government to start relief work for the farmers. This year the state witnessed a deficit in rainfall by 60 to 65 percent in July. The June and July rainfall is essential for the paddy crops.