After two consecutive years of poor rainfall, many parts of the country are suffering a shortage of water, yes, but also a host of problems that have severely affected peoples' health and livelihood. Realizing that a one-size-fits-all approach isn't going to work, the government has developed a five-pronged approach to deal with the problem at both the national and state levels.

1. Drinking water More than 7 lakh hand pumps will be repaired and a total of 10 lakh meters of pipe will be added to bore wells to access deeper ground water reserves. A little over 13,000 private bore wells will be hired, in addition to which 45,000 new bore wells will be dug.

2. Food After continuously urging states to put themselves under the umbrella of the National Food Security Act, a total of 33 states with 72.45 crore beneficiaries now receive food grain at lower rates - 55.33 beneficiaries alone are in drought affected states. A majority of drought-affected states have got financial approval to distribute mid-day meals to school children even during the long summer vacation.

3. Water Security During 2015-16, the government has distributed Rs 1,064 crores to develop rain-fed areas that have been degraded and to develop wastelands. To increase pre-monsoon preparedness, the centre has asked drought-hit states to conserve water during the monsoons and to manage water demand more effectively.

4. Livelihood The government has rolled out a new crop insurance scheme called the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna from the 2016 kharif season, under which farmers have to pay the lowest-ever premiums - 1.5% for rabi crops and 2% for kharif crops. The government has also increased assistance provided under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and the various State Disaster Response Funds.