Andhra Pradesh CM seeks central aid for drought-hit farmers
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has requested assistance including employment guarantees and crop insurance settlement for farmers facing severe rainfall deficits.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday urged the Centre to provide comprehensive assistance to farmers affected by drought, according to a Deccan Chronicle report. The Chief Minister requested 200 days of employment under the VB-G RAM G scheme, the issuance of drought cards for eligible families, and the rapid settlement of crop insurance claims.
Naidu told a central inter-ministerial team that the state is facing contrasting calamities, with cyclones hitting coastal districts while the Rayalaseema region deals with rainfall deficits and El Nino conditions. He noted that Anantapur recorded the second-lowest rainfall in the country and that below-normal rainfall has damaged kharif crops.
The state government has declared 412 mandals in 21 districts as drought-affected. Naidu also requested central support for rescheduling agricultural loans and assistance to expand the Jal Jeevan Mission to address falling groundwater levels.
The Chief Minister sought special central aid for cyclone damage in coastal Andhra as well. A report regarding the drought situation is expected to be submitted to the Centre within one week.
The inter-ministerial team, which inspected Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, and Sri Sathya Sai districts on November 2 and 3, said it will provide its findings within 15 days based on field inspections and state inputs.