A Disappointing news for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. When Chandrababu Naidu was busy with receiving foreign delegations and shuttling between Vijayawada and Hyderabad for review meetings, and Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao with Ayuta Chandi Yagam, centre took an important decision and ignored the two states.
Union government on Tuesday evening finalized a huge quantum of drought relief to BJP-ruled states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The NDA government approved a drought assistance to the tune of Rs 5,083 crore to the two states. Maharasthra, which was worst hit by drought, will get Rs 3,050 crore and while Madhya Pradesh will receive an amount of Rs 2,033 crore.
The money will be released from National Disaster Relief Fund, which is created to extend helping hand to the states when hit by natural calamities like drought and floods.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the high-level committee of central home ministry chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh after examining the proposals given by the central teams that visited these states recently.
This year Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also suffered heavily in the drought. In the first week of December central teams visited these states. Both states requested for the special drought assistance. But no decision has been taken yet by the centre despite the states raising the issue repeatedly.
Telangana sought Rs 2514 crore
Telangana State Government urged the Centre to provide a financial assistance of Rs 2,514 crore towards drought relief. Chief Secretary Dr Rajiv Sharma showcased the drought affected areas to Central team at a meeting held in Haritha Plaza, in Hyderabad. The Chief Secretary apprised Union Agriculture Joint Secretary Uthpal Kumar Singh and his team of officials who came from Delhi to assess the drought loss in the state. Rajiv Sharma said 231 mandals were drought-hit in the state due to low rainfall, reduction in crop yields and perennial drought conditions.
Andhra Pradesh seeks Rs 2000 crore
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu sought a financial assistance of Rs. 2000.56 crore from the Centre as drought relief to the state.
He appealed to the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) that met him, to conduct a detailed study of the drought condition in AP for possibly making it a drought–free State in the next few years. Naidu said that 399 out of 670 mandals in Andhra Pradesh faced drought and people were looking for an effective solution to it. There was no trace of the SW monsoon in Kadapa, Kurnool, Nellore and Prakasam districts this year. The situation was not conducive for sowing in 5 lakh hectares in 10 districts. The normal rainfall this season was put at 168 mm while the actual rainfall was way behind at 71.1 mm, the Chief Minister said.