Telangana declares 365 mandals drought-hit and calls all-party meet; Maharashtra to pay Rs 5,000 to farmers

The reason is the rain. Telangana received 615.5 mm between 1 June and 30 September, against a normal of 740.6 mm, a shortfall of 17 per cent, and 18 of its 33 districts were in deficit. The area under kharif crops fell from 139.28 lakh acres to 126.06 lakh acres.

The state has asked the Centre for 50 additional days of work under the employment scheme, more fertiliser, 1,500 MW of extra power and a special drought relief package of Rs 20,000 crore. Its planning department must send a memorandum to the Union agriculture and home ministries within seven days to seek help from the National Disaster Response Fund. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy called the effect of what he described as a Super El Niño a major disaster on 15 October, and he said he would lead an all-party delegation to meet the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister in November.

The all-party meeting

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka is hosting the meeting on Wednesday, and he has invited the opposition, including the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The agenda covers the weather and the shortfall in rain, an action plan to reduce the effect on the public and farmers, drinking water supply, conservation of water, power for irrigation and alternative crops. The meeting comes amid a dispute between the ruling Congress and the opposition over relief in the affected districts. The BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao has blamed the Chief Minister and the Congress government for the hardship, citing his trips to Delhi, and the BJP has said that it plans to press for drought relief at the meeting.

Maharashtra: Rs 5,000 for 1.5 crore farmers

The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, approved the advance on Tuesday after announcing it on 13 October. It covers 304 drought-affected talukas, and farmers who have lost more than 33 per cent of their crop are eligible. The cost is about Rs 7,500 crore, and Fadnavis said the money would be credited by direct benefit transfer within two days.

The government is paying from its own resources, because the procedure for central relief cannot be completed before Diwali. Fadnavis said that this Diwali brings severe hardship for farmers, and that Rs 5,000 cannot make up for their losses but will give some relief. The advance is an interim measure, and a wider package will follow once the damage has been assessed. Four or five more talukas may be added to the list.

Groundwater in Marathwada has fallen by more than three metres, and more than 16,000 illegal water connections have been disconnected. Water tankers will carry GPS trackers to stop misuse. Banks and microfinance institutions have been told not to force recovery of loans or electricity dues. The government will buy fodder directly and encourage farmers to grow fodder crops, and a list of 3.5 lakh farmers has been finalised for a loan waiver scheme, with processing under way. The Nationalist Congress Party's Sunil Tatkare said the advance is only the beginning and urged help beyond the norms of the disaster funds.

The two states are dealing with the same weather problem in different ways. Telangana has formally declared the drought, which lets it release funds and ask for central help, and it wants political parties on one platform. Maharashtra has chosen to pay a flat amount quickly and without conditions, and to decide the larger package later.

In Telangana, the outcome of the meeting and the memorandum to the Centre will show how much support the state gets. In Maharashtra, the payment of the advance and the later package will be the test for farmers who have lost their crop.