Telangana’s crop damage relief row intensified after former minister T Harish Rao accused the state government of failing to discuss assistance for farmers despite acknowledging damage across about 25 lakh acres linked to the El Nino impact.
Harish Rao said the issue was not taken up during the state cabinet meeting on Thursday and questioned the government’s priorities. He alleged that resources were being spent on initiatives including the Global Summit, Musi rejuvenation, Future City and major infrastructure projects while farmers facing crop losses remained without immediate relief.
The former minister made the allegations after inspecting drought-hit paddy fields in Chilpichedu and Hatnoora mandals of the Narsapur constituency on Friday. He was accompanied by Narsapur MLA Sunitha Lakshma Reddy and Sangareddy MLA Chinta Prabhakar. According to the report, Harish Rao interacted with farmers who said their crops had withered because of power interruptions and inadequate irrigation.
At a press conference later, Harish Rao alleged that the agrarian distress was the result of administrative failures rather than a shortage of rainfall. He claimed that water was available in major rivers but lift irrigation schemes were not being operated effectively. He cited the Devadula and Kalwakurthy projects and alleged that they were functioning below their potential.
Harish Rao claimed that Telangana had an opportunity to lift 60 tmcft of water from the Devadula project but lifted only 18 tmcft, with the remaining water released to Andhra Pradesh. He demanded a white paper explaining the operation of lift irrigation pumps and water utilisation during the season. The report did not include a response from the Telangana government to these allegations.
He also demanded immediate drought assistance of ₹5,000 per acre, citing similar measures announced in Maharashtra and Karnataka. In addition, he criticised the alleged non-implementation of a crop insurance scheme despite budgetary allocations and accused the government of discontinuing the Rythu Bima scheme introduced during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government.
The former minister further alleged delays in opening paddy procurement centres, saying farmers were being forced to sell produce through middlemen. He raised concerns over pending farm loan waivers and claimed that banks were adjusting pension benefits, housing assistance and crop sale proceeds against unpaid agricultural loans.
Harish Rao also referred to the Singur project, alleging that poor planning had reduced reservoir storage and created irrigation and drinking water difficulties in several districts. He claimed that 20 tmcft of water was released in the name of repairs, affecting four districts, and demanded protection of the remaining reserves along with priority for drinking water supplies.
The demands place irrigation operations, crop insurance, procurement and reservoir management at the centre of the state’s response to reported farm losses. Harish Rao called for the government to release the proposed white paper and provide immediate assistance to affected cultivators.
