Telangana seeks Rs 30,000 cr drought aid, gets no Centre meeting

Hyderabad: Three days in Delhi, a large part of the Cabinet in tow, and no meeting with the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister or any Union Minister concerned. That is what Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s campaign for a Rs 30,000-crore drought relief package has delivered so far, with the Telangana government’s demand still confined to a formal representation.

Revanth Reddy and more than half of his Cabinet colleagues camped in the national capital, announcing that they would press Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene. Neither meeting happened. The Ministers instead joined Congress protests in Delhi, while the state’s drought demand went no further than official channels. No assurance on a special package has emerged.

Andhra Pradesh moves ahead

The state’s handling of the drought looks weaker when set against neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Despite recording a higher rainfall deficit, Andhra Pradesh declared 388 mandals drought-hit on October 1, well before the October 31 deadline. A central team has been deputed to assess the situation there, and its visit is scheduled for this week.

Telangana declared 365 mandals drought-affected only on October 27. No central assessment team has been deputed to the state so far.

Official sources told the newspaper that Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh both face more severe rainfall deficits than Telangana’s 17 per cent shortfall. This weakens the state’s case for exceptional assistance from the Centre.

Demand revised upwards

The Telangana Assembly adopted a resolution on September 18 seeking Rs 20,000 crore in special assistance, a Central assessment team and relief under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). The demand was later raised to Rs 30,000 crore.

The state has also sought a higher borrowing limit under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) framework for 2026-27, from 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

The government submitted its drought report to the Centre on October 28 but has yet to receive a concrete response. An all-party meeting chaired the same day by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka ended with assurances that opposition suggestions would be considered and an action plan prepared. The proposed all-party delegation to Delhi also remains only an announcement.

With 365 mandals declared drought-affected and farmers facing crop losses, neither a Central commitment nor any effective intervention for farmers has materialised from the Delhi campaign.

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