CM grants Rs. 115 cr. more for relief

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, APRIL 1. The State Government will release Rs. 115 crores more for drought relief, and will have a daily review of the availability of drinking water in the affected areas. This was announced by the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, in his reply to a three-hour debate on drought in the Assembly on Saturday.

Members of the Congress(I) and the CPI(M) staged a walkout protesting at his ``empty words.'' The Chief Minister called the walkout ``unfortunate'' and explained the steps taken so far to combat ``the worst drought'' in the last five years. He described the Opposition criticism that the Government was yet to spend Rs. 97 crores out of Rs. 175 crores released for drought relief.

Of the additional release, Rs. 30 crores would be for drinking water provision which, with Rs. 21 crores made available for the rural and urban areas, would take the total to Rs. 50 crores for input subsidy, Rs. 25 crores towards employment-generation, and Rs. 10 crores for seeds subsidy. The Central promise for Rs. 75 crores did not materialise as yet but ``we are hopeful,'' he said. As far as spending against drought was concerned, the Government had removed treasury controls.

Referring to delay in compensation payments against crop loss, the Chief Minister said that it was due to cross-checking of the lists prepared at the ground level and the plan to time the disbursement with kharif. He corrected the written answer tabled by the Revenue Minister, offering the input subsidy also to those who were already in receipt of subsidised seeds. The compensation paid here was the highest in the country, he said, pointing at that they paid Rs. 150 for one coconut tree and Rs. 1,250 per acre of tobacco.

Mr. D. Prasada Rao, Cong(I), opposed the Chief Minister's version, saying victims of Konaseema cyclone did not get a paisa as yet. Mr. Naidu asked him to ``go and see now'' with the remark ``if one wears an yellow glass, he will see only yellow picture.'' The Chief Minister's another statement that the comprehensive insurance scheme would be applied only to khariff as rabi crop was not lost was disputed by Mr. N. Raghuveera Reddy, Cong(I), who thrust out a half-germinated groundnut sheaf brought from Rayalaseema region grown out of ``substandard'' seeds supplied by the Government under subsidy.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said the next three-month period would be crucial under the drought and the situation would be watched carefully with weekly reviews by himself and the Cabinet Sub- Committee formed for the purpose. Turning to members who complained about un-availability of drinking water, he said it was all false and politically motivated. He offered to rush tankers or sink a borewell or revive the old one, if defunct, if the MLAs brought specific cases to his notice. The Chief Minister ridiculed the suggestion made by the Congress(I) leader, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, for opening ``ganji (sago) centres as was done years ago, and asserted that there was no such need as the Government was capable of offering a better deal to the affected people with provision for gainful employment which would fetch at least Rs. 30 a day.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu envisaged a long-term water policy because only 10 per cent of the total rainfall was harvested while 90 per cent went waste into the sea. The Government wanted to launch a water conservancy plan in consonance with the water mission announced in the budget. He regretted that some politicians were trying to swallow even these amounts, and when Mr. N. Varadarajula Reddy, Cong(I), resented this remark, he said: ``Why feel uneasy when asked who is the pumpkin thief?''.

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Section  : Regional
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