NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad
The 10-member central team, which visited Andhra Pradesh over the last two days to assess the prevailing drought conditions, found the situation to be severe.
K D Singh, joint secretary in the ministry of agriculture, who led the team, said on Wednesday that the rural areas were adversely affected.
He added the team held discussions with all segments of the people.
He said the failure of monsoon had resulted in the rivers and tanks drying up.
He said the teams observed that people appeared frustrated and unhappy due to many other related factors, including non-availability of fodder for their cattle.
In some tanks, water levels were as low as four feet while the minimum should be eight feet for the assured water supply to the villages.
The central team called on the chief minister and held discussions with him and state officials. The chief minister recounted the spate of problems affecting the state. He said that all the 22 rural districts in the state were declared drought-affected.
Naidu said that the coverage of cropping area fell down to only 51 percent of the normal cropping area during the Kharif season this year.
The chief minister said the state government had released Rs 1.84 billion for various works in view of the severity of the drought situation. He urged the central team to understand the gravity of the problem and ensure adequate assistance from the Union government.
He said the state government had done all that was possible to bail out the state from the drought.
Naidu would also be going to Delhi on Thursday for follow up on his plea for liberal central assistance.
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