Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy urged the Centre to extend Telangana drought aid as deficient rainfall created drought-like conditions in the State. He attributed the situation to the impact of El Niño and sought necessary assistance from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Revanth Reddy met Chouhan in Hyderabad during the Southern States Agriculture Conference. Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy also attended the meeting. Senior officials were present as the Chief Minister explained the situation and submitted a memorandum seeking central support.
Revanth Reddy said power consumption in the agriculture sector had risen sharply because of the prevailing dry conditions. Meanwhile, he said the State government had made advance arrangements to prevent shortages of drinking water and electricity.
The Chief Minister also sought central support to promote crop diversification. He said farmers were being encouraged to grow alternative crops because of the El Niño conditions. In addition, the State government was establishing an international-standard fruits and vegetables market across 250 acres to support the cultivation and marketing of alternative crops.
Revanth Reddy 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 two lakh houses to the State. He recalled submitting a memorandum in Delhi in July seeking houses for 11,56,915 eligible rural families.
Telangana drought aid linked to farm and housing needs
Revanth 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 over the prevailing agricultural conditions.
The Chief Minister also highlighted Telangana’s distribution of fine rice to poor families through ration shops. He described the initiative as a measure not being 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 meeting 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.