Hyderabad: Telangana drought aid was sought by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy after deficient rainfall created drought-like conditions across the State. He linked the situation to the impact of El Niño and sought necessary assistance from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Revanth Reddy raised the issue during the Southern States Agriculture Conference in Hyderabad. Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Ponnam Prabhakar Reddy also attended the meeting, where Chouhan was present. The Chief Minister explained the situation and submitted a memorandum seeking central support.
The Chief Minister said farm power consumption had risen sharply because of prevailing dry conditions. Meanwhile, he asked the State government machinery to prevent shortages of drinking water and electricity as the drought situation continued.
Reddy also sought central support to promote crop diversification across Telangana. He said farmers were being encouraged to grow alternative crops because of El Niño conditions. In addition, the State government had begun establishing an international-standard fruits and vegetables market across 250 acres to support the cultivation and marketing of alternative crops.
The Chief Minister also raised Telangana’s housing requirement under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). He thanked Chouhan for the Centre’s first-phase allocation of 2 lakh houses to the State. Reddy recalled submitting a memorandum in Delhi seeking housing for 11,56,919 eligible rural families.
Telangana drought aid tied to housing and farm support
Reddy asked the Union minister to allocate the remaining 9.56 lakh houses to Telangana according to the State’s requirement. The request came alongside his appeal for support for agricultural conditions affecting farmers.
The meeting also covered Telangana’s distribution of fine rice to poor families through ration shops. Reddy described the initiative as a measure that had not been implemented elsewhere in the country. At the same time, the State government was encouraging farmers to grow fine varieties of paddy by offering a bonus of Rs. 500 per quintal.
The discussions therefore covered both immediate agricultural concerns and longer-term support for farmers. Revanth Reddy’s memorandum sought central assistance while the State continued measures on water, electricity, crop diversification, housing and fine-rice cultivation.
