CM Revanth urges Centre’s aid amid deficient rainfall

metro india news  I hyderabad : Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has urged Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to extend necessary assistance to Telangana to tackle drought-like conditions arising from the impact of El Niño. The Chief Minister met Chouhan, who was in Hyderabad to participate in the Southern States Agriculture Conference, along with Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and senior officials. Revanth Reddy apprised the Union Minister of the prevailing situation in the State due to deficient rainfall and submitted a memorandum seeking the Centre’s support.

Revanth Reddy said power consumption in the agriculture sector had increased significantly due to the prevailing dry conditions. He also explained that the State government had made advance arrangements to ensure that there was no shortage of drinking water or electricity.The Chief Minister said farmers were being encouraged to take up alternative crops in view of the El Niño conditions and sought the Centre’s support to promote crop diversification.

He said the State government was setting up an international-standard fruits and vegetables market spread over 250 acres to promote the cultivation and marketing of alternative crops.Referring to the Centre’s allocation of two lakh houses to Telangana in the first phase under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), Revanth Reddy thanked the Union Minister for the support. He recalled that he had submitted a memorandum to Chouhan in Delhi in July, seeking sanction of houses for 11,56,915 eligible rural families in the State.

The Chief Minister requested the Union Minister to allocate the remaining 9.56 lakh houses to Telangana as per the State’s requirement.Revanth Reddy also explained that Telangana was supplying fine rice to poor families through ration shops, describing it as a measure not being implemented elsewhere in the country.

He said the State government was encouraging farmers to cultivate fine varieties of paddy by providing a bonus of Rs. 500 per quintal.