Overview
- YSRCP chief Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy held a video conference on Thursday and accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of failing to act on February warnings about El Niño, which he said allowed the drought to deepen.
- Jagan cited a more than 51 percent rainfall deficit through September 16 and said 628 of 688 mandals showed drought conditions with 332 in severe distress, leaving about 20 lakh acres unsown of a normal 76 lakh-acre kharif area.
- He told party leaders that farmers who sowed on government assurances lost roughly Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 per acre and that many have been left without free crop insurance or fodder support.
- The YSRCP demanded immediate relief measures including formal drought declarations, loan rescheduling, restoration of free crop insurance, Rs 15,000 per acre for unsown land and Rs 25,000 per acre for damaged crops, and Rs 6,000 crore for input subsidies.
- Jagan also blamed state water decisions for worsening shortages, alleging Srisailam releases favoured power over irrigation and that Polavaram storage and Telangana lift projects have cut Andhra’s available water, a charge that frames the dispute over reservoir operations and inter‑state projects.