The Central drought assessment team on Wednesday toured Anantapur district in the backdrop of the sixth consecutive drought year and severe distress in the farm sector leading to tens of farmer suicides.
The Central team led by Joint Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture P. Shakeel Ahmed and comprising three other members DAC Joint Secretary Narendra Kumar, Director of Monitoring and Appraisal Directorate Pankaj Tyagi and DGM of FCI, Andhra Pradesh Region Govardhan Rao undertook a field visit in Hindupur region to assess the ground situation and interacted with farmers about conditions while having a look at parched fields.
“Please do something about the water problem we are facing. Leave aside the farms we don’t even have water to drink. Please do something,” N. Venkatesulu of Mamillapalli village said urging the Central team to give directions to the administration to solve the drinking water scarcity in the village.
At the Penukonda RDO office, Collector Kona Sasidhar made a presentation of the severe drought conditions that the district was facing and urged the Central team to sanction funds to Rs 1404.55 crore towards drought relief measures.
“Besides the fact that this is the sixth consecutive drought year for the district, the district has also faced 13 years of drought in the last 18 years,” said Mr. Sasidhar, who made a forceful appeal to the team to consider the humanitarian impact of the drought on the people of the district.
The Collector sought Rs. 587 crore for the Agriculture Department, Rs. 111 crore for horticulture, Rs. 412 crore for handloom sector comprising primarily of silk saree weavers and Rs. 438 crore for minor irrigation besides Rs. 122 crore for Animal husbandry and Rs. 35.85 crore and Rs. 22.20 crore for the rural water supply and civil supplies departments respectively.
Hopes on team visit
With a poor monsoon, untimely rains, depleting groundwater level and non-availability of fodder wreaking havoc with agriculture this year, farmers from the western mandals of Chittoor district are pinning their hopes on the visit of a Central drought team.
The team will undertake a daylong visit on Thursday to villages in Piler, Madanapalle, Punganur, Palamaner and Thamballapalle constituencies.
