Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday said the government would come to the rescue of the people who were hit by heavy rains, and assured them all help.
During a short discussion on the agriculture sector in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said he had directed the Collectors of Nellore, Chittoor and Kadapa districts to be liberal and compassionate in assisting the needy.
Two Naval helicopters were despatched to Anantapur and Kadapa districts for rescue operations, and five more choppers were planned to be pressed into service, he said.
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The Chief Minister directed the officials to provide ex gratia of ₹5 lakh each to the families of those who died and ₹2,000 per family as immediate assistance.
He said teams were formed to access the crop damage, and added that crop enumeration would be done as and when the rains receded.
Seeds would be provided at 80% discount to groundnut farmers whose crops were damaged in Chittoor, Anantapur and Kadapa districts, and at an equal discount to paddy farmers in Nellore district, he said, holding out the promise that the crop loss incurred in the rabi season would be compensated in the same season before the onset of kharif.
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Earlier, the Chief Minister held a review meeting with the Collectors of the three districts and instructed them to be on alert in view of the possibility of more rain.
He said the government appointed IAS officers B. Rajashekar, P.S. Pradyumna and Sasi Bhushan Kumar as special officers to supervise the relief and rehabilitation measures in Nellore, Chittoor and Kadapa districts respectively.