The Hindu Business Line : Central team in AP to assess drought situation

Taking stock: In Hyderabad on Tuesday, an Inter-Ministerial Central team headed by Ms Upma Chawdhry, Joint Secretary, Agriculture, looking at the photographs showing the crop damage caused by drought in the State. This is the first time the State has been affected by both drought and floods. — Mohammed Yousuf

Our Bureau

Hyderabad, Nov. 3 The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, has requested the Inter-Ministerial Central Team on drought to take a humanitarian and liberal view of the suffering of the people affected by drought while making recommendations to the Centre.

He was interacting with the team led by Ms Upma Chawdhry, Joint Secretary (Seeds), Ministry of Agriculture, at the Secretariat.

The Chief Minister said the State Government declared 981 mandals, out of 1128 mandals, as drought affected.

As against 71.84 lakhs hectares of normal sown area in 981 mandals, only 35.87 lakh hectares were sown by 15.8.2009.

The State Government is requesting for release of Rs 9,053.19 crore under National Calamity Contingency Funds (NCCF) on account of drought conditions.

It has so far sanctioned an amount of Rs 556.96 crore pending receipt of grant from NCCF.

The other requests are, to extend subsidised interest rate (3 per cent) to the re-scheduled crop loans and charging of interest on par with the one charged to the short term loans, and to release Rs 68 crore additionally either under RKVY funds or any other scheme, an official release said.

Responding to the Chief Minister’s appeal, Ms Chawdhry said: “We are going to be divided into five teams and make assessment field level in the affected districts.

The teams will return to Hyderabad on November 6.

More Stories on : Natural Calamities | Andhra Pradesh

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page