New Delhi, 15 November (H.S.): Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday took up the state's drought situation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, seeking financial support to address the impact of deficient rainfall on farming and rural livelihoods.

During his meeting with the Prime Minister, Reddy highlighted the rainfall shortfall linked to El Niño and its consequences for farmers and the agricultural sector. He also invited Modi to attend the Telangana Global Investors Summit and inaugurate the Khelo India competitions.

The scale of the rainfall deficit is reflected in the State government's assessment for the current year. On October 27, it identified 365 mandals in 31 districts as drought-affected, including 111 classified under severe drought and 254 under moderate drought. District authorities were directed to begin relief measures.

Between June 1 and September 30, Telangana received 615.5 mm of rainfall, compared with the normal of 740.6 mm, marking a shortfall of 17 per cent. Eighteen districts recorded deficient rainfall during the period, according to State government figures.

The reduced rainfall also coincided with a contraction in the area under kharif cultivation. The sown area declined from 139.28 lakh acres to 126.06 lakh acres, the government said.

Earlier, on September 18, the Telangana Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution seeking a Rs 20,000-crore package from the Centre, along with other measures, to address the effects of El Niño and the rainfall deficit.

Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar