Telangana farmers criticise delay in declaring drought-hit mandals, seek crop-loss compensation

Farmers and different farmer organisations have criticised the State government for delaying the declaration of drought-hit mandals and failing to assure them of compensation for crop losses. On Saturday, the State government declared 365 mandals across 31 districts drought-affected for the Vanakalam 2026 season. Of these, 111 were classified as severely drought-affected and 254 as moderately drought-affected.

The government said the remaining mandals would continue to be monitored by the State Drought Monitoring Cell. These mandals may be included in the list through a supplementary notification if conditions warrant. However, farmers’ organisations have expressed dissatisfaction with the declaration, particularly



over the delay in identifying drought-hit areas.

Several mandals have suffered severe crop losses but have not been included in the list. Talamadugu mandal, for instance, was excluded on the grounds that it had received normal rainfall. Rythu Swarajya Vedika convenor B. Kondal Reddy said a single heavy spell of rain did not mean the mandal had received normal rainfall. Farmers in several villages under the mandal were in distress, he said.

The government has also not provided any assurance on compensation for affected farmers. The farming community is facing considerable hardship due to crop losses, and the government needs to instil confidence among farmers, Kondal Reddy said.