AP Seeks Release of Rs 319.77 Crore Financial Aid for Drought-Hit Mandals

 Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has urged the Centre to release Rs 319.77 crore as financial assistance for the Rabi drought-hit mandals in the state.

Ajay Jain, the special chief secretary for the state disaster management authority made the request to the Union agriculture ministry, the PM Fasal Bima Yojana CEO and the central team led by farmer’s welfare joint secretary Ritesh Chauhan, that visited the state, to help support the affected AP farmers generously.

Additionally, the special CS requested the central team to sanction 50 days’ additional person days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (Upadhi).

The central team including Chauhan and its members Dr Ponnu Swamy, Sunil Duby, Chinmay Pundlikarao Gotkar, Ashish Pandey, Aravind Kumar Sony, Mannuji Upadhyan, SC Kashyap, Madan Mohan Mourya and Anuradha Batna visited the Rabi drought-hit mandals in the Nellore, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Satya Sai and Prakasham districts for four days.

The central government announced around 63 mandals as severely drought-hit and 24 mandals as modest drought-hit in the state.

Later, the committee held a meeting with APSDMA special chief secretary Ajay Jain and director Ronanki Kurmanath at the headquarters at Mangalagiri near here on Friday.

During the meeting, the Special CS explained the current Rabi drought-hit conditions in these districts to the central team.

Also, he requested the team to recommend sanction of Rs 319.77 crore in financial assistance to these districts.

Ritesh Chauhan said that his team would report about the actual drought conditions in the state to the central government. Also, they would submit a detailed crop loss report to the government. They received a detailed crop loss report from the officials of the state, he said.