A Central inter-ministerial team would tour the seven drought-affected districts in the State in April first week to assess the crop damage and recommend the relief package, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said here on Friday.
A detailed report had been submitted to the Centre, seeking an assistance of Rs.1,532 crore for drought relief and the government had already initiated several measures to tackle drought, Mr. Naidu said in the Assembly, while responding to the discussion on the drought situation in AP.
Referring to the prevailing drought condition in 238 mandals in the State, Mr. Naidu said that there was no dearth of funds to tackle drinking water scarcity, fodder shortage, run cattle camps and increase man days from 100 to 150 days under the MGNREGA. “Input subsidy will be released to farmers according to the revised norms as done for Hudhud cyclone damage.
With the Central granting Rs. 299 crore, the total estimated input subsidy for agriculture and horticulture crops will be Rs. 699 crore and the State will bear the remaining amount,” he said, adding that the State would also bear the additional Rs. 550 crore, if required, for increasing the NREGS wage days to 150.
Reiterating the government’s resolve to fight the drought, Mr. Naidu said apart from Neeru-Chettu programme that aimed at conserving water and recharging the ground water table in the next three months, the government was taking up medium and long term measures to tackle perennial drought in Rayalaseema.
In response to the row over the Pattiseema lift irrigation project, he said the scheme was planned to divert water to Rayalaseema districts by next June. Calling upon political parties to function with responsibility, Mr. Naidu asserted that justice would be done to twin Godavari districts as only 80 tmcft of floodwaters from Godavari would be diverted to Krishna basin, while equal quantum from Srisailam project would be released to reservoirs in Rayalaseema.
He said that despite the State registering 37 per cent average deficit rainfall, crops were saved in the affected districts through efficient water management and agriculture yield registered a marginal increase this year.
A definite plan had been drawn to bring five lakh hectares under drip irrigation in the drought-prone Anantapur district, Mr. Naidu added.
Earlier, TDP legislators Kalva Srinivasulu, Jaya Nageswara Rao, P.Srinivasa Reddy and their BJP counterpart Vishnukumar Raju spoke on the drought situation and Deputy Chief Minister China Rajappa gave reply to the questions.
