Relief would also be sought for fishermen and weavers affected by the drought, says the CM.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, on Wednesday, sought liberal assistance from the Centre towards drought relief in Andhra Pradesh.
The Chief Minister told the Central Team that the state would send the Centre a revised request for assistance, amounting to Rs. 3,006 crore.
The CM was interacting with the Inter-Ministerial Central Team that called on him after touring the affected districts today, at the Secretariat.
Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy, Chief Secretary Pankaj Dwivedi, Disaster Management Commissioner Radha, Agriculture Commissioner Usha Rani and other officials were present in the meeting.
The Central team, led by SFAC MD Pravesh Sharma, lauded what he called the well-coordinated approach of the state government in drought relief measures.
The team leader said after their tour of the drought-affected districts, they have now a much clearer understanding of the situation and the need at the ground level, and what the state has done so far.
The team said that a comprehensive assessment of the crop damage has been done, and that it was gratified to see that food grain prices seem to be stable in spite of the drought and other natural calamities.
However, the team cautioned that drinking water would be a problem, particularly in the summer of this year. Fodder and cattle camps will also be areas of concern, it said.
The Chief Minister said that on one hand, some of the districts in the state were being affected by cyclones and floods, and on the other hand, certain others were being affected by drought.
He sought long-term assistance, like massive irrigation projects, from the government of India, as a permanent measure to help the state face natural calamities.
Later, talking to reporters, Raghuveera Reddy said that once the Central assistance is received, the state will add its share and distribute it to the affected farmers. The CM said that relief would also be sought for fishermen and weavers affected by the drought, in the revised request to the Centre. (INN)