Hyderabad, Oct 9 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will hold a special meeting with the ministers on October 12 on the impact of El Nino and drought conditions in the state.
The meeting will discuss the conditions in areas where rainfall has decreased, the problems faced by farmers and the immediate measures to be taken by the government.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the meeting will focus on agriculture, irrigation, drinking water supply, increased electricity demand and immediate needs. In the recent state cabinet meeting, there was a long discussion on the rainfall situation.
Due to the influence of El Nino, the state has recorded 17 per cent less rainfall than normal, and around 235 mandals have experienced drought conditions.
The state government has already passed a resolution in the Assembly and appealed to the Centre to provide adequate financial assistance along with the declaration of drought zones. Rs. It has requested a special package of Rs. 20,000 crore.
The meeting is likely to discuss relief measures to be undertaken in the rain-affected areas, the activities already prepared by the ministerial sub-committee, the proposed all-party meeting, the advice and suggestions of farmers’ associations and experts in various fields.
Officials had said on October 6 that the preliminary assessments indicate severe drought conditions across 320 mandals in 18 districts due to the El Nino effect.
Telangana has a total of 621 mandals across 33 districts.
Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju has already directed officials to immediately prepare a comprehensive report on the drought conditions prevailing in the state.
The Chief Secretary instructed officials to gather comprehensive data from various departments, including Planning, Revenue, Groundwater, Agriculture, Panchayat Raj, and Rural Water Supply, and to identify drought-affected mandals in accordance with established norms.
He advised that the comprehensive drought report be prepared by taking into account 12 standard parameters, including the rainfall recorded during the Southwest Monsoon season (June to September).
The Chief Secretary directed officials to undertake the process of declaring drought-affected mandals based on government regulations and prescribed standards, and to prepare a comprehensive report on the matter by the end of October.
–IANS
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