Former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that Chandrababu Naidu negligence worsened drought crisis conditions across Andhra Pradesh following a comprehensive video conference with YSRCP coordinators. The opposition leader declared that inadequate planning turned a natural rainfall deficit into an administrative disaster, leaving rural farming communities without timely state intervention or emergency relief packages.

Official party releases reveal that Andhra Pradesh recorded a 51 percent cumulative rainfall deficit from the onset of the Kharif season through mid-September. Consequently, out of 688 total mandals, nearly 628 are experiencing severe dry conditions, leaving 20 lakh acres of arable land completely unsown. Farmers who planted crops including groundnut, cotton, red gram, and paddy suffered heavy financial losses ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 rupees per acre due to depleted ground moisture.

How Is Jagan Criticising Andhra Pradesh’s Water Management?

YS Jagan criticized the state government for diverting Srisailam reservoir storage toward power generation rather than prioritizing irrigation needs across Rayalaseema districts. The YSRCP leadership demanded an immediate formal declaration of drought-affected mandals, financial compensation of 25,000 rupees per acre for damaged crops, loan rescheduling, and an input subsidy allocation of 6,000 crore rupees. Furthermore, the party called for zero-interest agricultural loans and free water tanker deployment to protect fading fruit orchards.

YSRCP cadres plan to conduct district-level demonstrations and submit formal demand memorandums to local administrative collectors while organizing direct farmer outreach programs.