No end to drought nightmare?

Drought, the perennial problem plaguing Andhra Pradesh, is likely to worsen this year if the rain gods play truant. About 257 mandals have already been declared drought-hit. What makes the very thought of yet another long dry spell worrisome is the fact that the state faced its worst drought in two decades just last year. The situation is particularly grim in Rayalaseema.

Successive governments, including the incumbent Chandrababu Naidu regime, cannot escape the blame for not putting in place long-term drought mitigating measures. They have been content with short-term steps which only resulted in perpetuating the nightmare, especially for the farmers. TNIE had reported last year how lakhs of farmers were migrating from Kurnool to other parts of the state and the country to work as daily wage labourers. If anything, their plight has since turned from bad to worse. The Naidu government claims to have used the NREGA scheme better than other states. On the ground, daily wages are not being paid for months to the beneficiaries in almost all districts.

The government, which has emptied the treasury—even withholding payment of salaries to lakhs of contract workers—to implement poll-eve sops, has done precious little to pay up its NREGA dues other than blaming the Centre. Its other programme, Jalasiri ki Harathi (Tribute to water wealth) is a classic example of lack of foresight. The self-defeating ritual has only succeeded in increasing the ubiquitous borewell and depleting groundwater resources besides pushing farmers into debt. The 62 irrigation projects announced by Naidu have almost all been non-starters.

Whoever forms the next government will have to focus on overhauling the system keeping in mind not only the consumer but also the producer, and providing adequate MSP and infrastructure to the farmers. The income guarantee scheme announced just before the elections may give temporary relief, but in the long run, it is no better than loan waiver. It is inhuman to treat farmers as beggars. It is time to say Jai Kisan once again.