Telangana farmers criticise delay in declaring drought-hit mandals, seek crop-loss compensation

Hyderabad: Farmers and different farmer organisations have criticised the State government for delaying the declaration of drought-hit mandals and failing to assure them of compensation for crop losses. On Saturday, the State government declared 365 mandals across 31 districts drought-affected for the Vanakalam 2026 season. Of these, 111 were classified as severely drought-affected and 254 as moderately drought-affected.

The government said the remaining mandals would continue to be monitored by the State Drought Monitoring Cell. These mandals may be included in the list through a supplementary notification if conditions warrant. However, farmers’ organisations have expressed dissatisfaction with the declaration, particularly over the delay in identifying drought-hit areas.

Several mandals have suffered severe crop losses but have not been included in the list. Talamadugu mandal, for instance, was excluded on the grounds that it had received normal rainfall. Rythu Swarajya Vedika convenor B. Kondal Reddy said a single heavy spell of rain did not mean the mandal had received normal rainfall. Farmers in several villages under the mandal were in distress, he said.

The government has also not provided any assurance on compensation for affected farmers. The farming community is facing considerable hardship due to crop losses, and the government needs to instil confidence among farmers, Kondal Reddy said.

Farmers’ organisations also alleged that the government had failed to implement contingency measures effectively despite warnings from scientists and weather experts about the adverse impact of El Niño since February this year.

Questions have also been raised about the government’s concern for the farming community, particularly its response to the situation and the contingency measures adopted. Farmers’ organisations said the declaration of drought-hit mandals had been delayed for reasons best known to officials.

“It is the last week of October. When will the State government initiate the second phase of drought assessment?” Kondal Reddy asked. He pointed out that the governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka had already submitted their drought assistance reports to the Centre, while Telangana was lagging behind.

Other States, like Telangana, are submitting drought reports to the Centre to seek assistance. Any delay in Telangana’s submission could further postpone the release of aid to farmers and add to their losses. Timely assistance is essential, the farmers’ organisations said.