The CPI(M) has demanded that the Union government announce a ₹1 lakh crore special package to help Andhra Pradesh tackle the severe drought situation and provide relief to the farmers, tenant farmers and agricultural workers.

Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada on Sunday, party State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao said nearly 80% of kharif crops had not been sown and crops suffered damage in the areas where cultivation was taken up. He claimed that the State suffered crop losses of ₹5.40 lakh crore, including ₹1,000 crore in Anantapur district alone.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao demanded that drought-affected mandals be declared immediately and ₹50,000 each be provided to the families of farmers, tenant farmers and agricultural workers as drought relief. The Centre should also provide funds for loan waiver and other relief measures, he said.

Farmers in the Krishna and Godavari delta regions were anxious over the availability of irrigation water, while unscheduled power cuts were affecting agricultural borewells, he said. Tenant farmers, who had paid rent but could not cultivate, were being pushed into debt, he said.

Price rise

The CPI(M) leader also demanded interest waiver on loans of women self-help group members affected by the drought. He urged the government to distribute eight essential commodities — rice, sugar, edible oil, tamarind, chilli, onions, red gram and wheat flour — through ration shops to check the impact of rising prices.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao criticised the ₹2-a-litre increase in Vijaya Dairy milk prices and demanded it be withdrawan. He also sought extension of the deadline for new pension applications and immediate sanction of pensions to the eligible beneficiaries.

CPI(M) State secretariat member Y. Venkateswara Rao demanded that the Election Commission ensure that eligible voters were not denied their voting right because of errors in electoral records. He also sought an immediate dialogue with protesting paramedical students and an increase in their stipend.