Drought alarm in T: Cabinet plans all-party talks on El Niño fallout | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: With rainfall deficits triggering drought-like conditions across large parts of Telangana, the state govt has decided to convene an all-party meeting on the impact of El Niño and seek suggestions from political parties before finalising its response.A cabinet sub-committee has also been tasked with assessing the situation and submitting a detailed report, following which a special cabinet meeting will be held to chart the state’s drought management strategy.The decisions were among a slew of measures cleared by the state cabinet, chaired by chief minister A Revanth Reddy, on Thursday. The cabinet also approved the release of two pending dearness allowances (DAs) for govt employees and dearness relief (DR) for pensioners, reviewed arrangements for paddy procurement, discussed 22-A prohibited properties and cleared plans for new renewable energy projects.“The cabinet held an extensive discussion on the El Niño conditions and rainfall deficit in the state. Telangana recorded 17% deficit rainfall during the southwest monsoon, which ended on Wednesday. Around 235 mandals are reportedly facing severe rainfall deficiency and drought-like conditions. A cabinet sub-committee will examine immediate relief measures in drought-affected areas,” information and public relations minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy told reporters after the meeting.Briefing the media alongside ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and others, Srinivas Reddy said the chief minister had directed officials to organise an all-party meeting and hold consultations with farmers’ organisations and domain experts. The cabinet also urged the Centre to declare the affected mandals drought-hit and extend financial assistance to the state.“After the special cabinet meeting, a delegation of ministers will meet the Union ministers seeking financial assistance explaining the state’s situation,” the minister said.Paddy procurementThe cabinet directed officials to complete preparations for kharif paddy procurement, with procurement centres expected to be opened shortly. “The civil supplies department estimates that around 65 lakh metric tonnes of paddy will have to be procured during the season,” Srinivas Reddy said.The cabinet also approved plans to invite tenders for 7,800 MW of power capacity, including 5,800 MW of solar and other renewable energy projects and 2,000 MW of battery storage capacity. “The tenders will be called as per the central govt norms transparently,” the minister said.The move comes amid a sharp rise in power consumption. While the state’s normal peak demand is around 15,000 MW, demand touched a record 19,892 MW this season, compared with 16,613 MW during the corresponding period last year.Irrigation reviewAmong other decisions, the cabinet approved a world-class integrated fruit market at Koheda in Abdullapurmet mandal of Rangareddy district at an estimated cost of ₹650 crore.It also directed officials to review long-pending projects and cancel incomplete EPC mode works wherever necessary. As part of this exercise, the cabinet approved the closure of 10 EPC irrigation works under the Kalwakurthy project.Srinivas Reddy said the cabinet also held detailed discussions on issues relating to 22-A prohibited properties and indicated that decisions on matters such as accepting fresh applications for urban land ceiling regularisation could be taken at the next meeting.The cabinet further approved a proposal to introduce a dedicated digital media advertising policy for Telangana, modelled on the Centre’s framework. It also sanctioned four deputy commissioner posts at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi and decided to post four additional Group-I officers in the national capital to strengthen coordination with the Union govt.