South hit by drought

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32708, 10 September 1971, Page 11

South hit by drought

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) NEW DELHI, September 9. While north and north-eastern India are devastated by floods, the southern state of Andhra Pradesh has been hit by the worst drought in years.

Officials say that 23 million of the state's 41 million people have been affected by the lack of rain, which has ruined many crops and left cattle thirsty. To overcome the food shortage, 1000 shops selling at controlled prices have been opened. This year instead of providing 400,000 metric tons of rice to the central buffer stock, Andhra Pradesh will have to obtain 20,000 metric tons of rice and 10,000 tons of other coarse grain from outside to feed the millions of agricultural labourers whose crops have A group of reporters who recently visited the area wrote that the crops sown in May were almost a complete loss. But Mr Annasaheb Shinde, Minister of State for Agriculture in the Centra] Government, said today that rains in the last week had helped to ease the situation and that if the showers continued cereal crops would, by and large, not be affected. ; The Central Government has made available 80 million rupees (about $9.6m) for relief work. State authorities estimate the crop loss at many times this figure. They believe that almost two million agricultural workers will have to be given employment through public works at a cost of some 470 million rupees ($55.7m) up to the end of the year. A report in the "National

Herald” described the situation this way: “The sunken cheeks and eyes of men and women and pale and listless children clinging to their mothers tell the tale of human suffering that grips the drought-affected parts of Andhra Pradesh.” The Press Trust of India said: “Wherever the newsmen went they found withering crops, parched fields, empty tanks and wells The condition—both mental and physical—of men and cattle was wretched.” Mr Brahmanada Reddy, the Andhra Chief Minister, has said that the entire autumn cereal and grain crop has gone.