Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has asked officials to take up the issue of pending NREGS bills with the Centre. In the meantime, bank loans can be taken to meet the situation, he added.

Andhra Pradesh has been in the first and second positions with regard to the implementation of the NREGS, he said.

Mr. Naidu, who chaired the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, said the officials can kick-start the process as the Centre has responded positively to the State’s request for raising bank loans.

He asked the officials to send the proposals to the Centre for compensation towards kharif and rabi losses. It was estimated that as much as ₹1,800 crore loss was incurred during kharif. Similarly, the loss was in the region of ₹501 crore during rabi. The government declared 257 mandals as drought hit in the State during rabi. Similarly, 347 mandals were declared as drought hit during kharif.

‘Approach EC’

A couple of Ministers pointed out that the cheques relating to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) were kept on hold. In response to it, Mr. Naidu suggested that the officials take permission from the ECI and see that the cheques were released without delay.

When Minister Adinarayana Reddy pointed that there was an acute drinking water shortage in Kadapa and other districts, the Chief Minister asked the officials to see that the drinking water was supplied daily instead of alternate days or once in a week.

The Fani cyclone impacted agriculture and horticulture in the State. It was estimated that the loss was ₹3.39 crore in agriculture and ₹ 2.95 crore in the horticulture sector, the officials told the Chief Minister.