VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday urged a high-level Central team to submit a swift report and recommend generous financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh, which suffered an estimated Rs 6,384 crore loss due to Cyclone Montha and accompanying heavy rains.
During a detailed meeting at his camp office with the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) led by Joint Secretary (Home) Pasumi Basu, the Chief Minister highlighted extensive damage to houses, roads, power infrastructure, crops, aquaculture, and handloom sectors.
The team, which concluded field visits across six severely affected districts—Konaseema, East Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, Prakasam, and Bapatla—praised the state government’s proactive disaster management.
Thanks to advance warnings through the Real-Time Governance System (RTGS) and timely evacuation, the state prevented any loss of human life. Over 1.92 lakh people from 22 districts were shifted to relief camps, and 3.36 lakh affected families received immediate financial assistance of Rs 3,000 each.
The state has sought Rs 2,622 crore as immediate relief for restoration of roads and power infrastructure.
Central Team Lauds Proactive Measures
The IMCT commended the Chief Minister for the effective use of RTGS for early warnings, pre-emptive power shutdowns to reduce wind-related damage, and safe evacuation of pregnant women to ensure timely medical care. “Your advance planning saved precious lives and minimised losses,” the team told the CM.
Naidu requested relaxation in norms for the procurement of rain-affected paddy and special support for cotton farmers who suffered heavy losses. He also sought Central funding for coastal erosion mitigation projects. An amount of Rs 323 crore for Uppada near Kakinada, Rs 203 crore near Visakhapatnam, and Rs 98 crore near Srikakulam
Other demands included Rs 11.77 crore for lightning warning systems and arresters, and Rs 18.48 crore for forest fire prevention systems.
The Chief Minister informed the team that successive challenges — state bifurcation and alleged financial mismanagement by the previous government — had drained the State Disaster Response Fund and stalled Central schemes. “We are working hard to correct past irregularities,” he assured.
The Central team promised to submit its recommendations at the earliest. The State government said it will send final damage estimates in two days.
Chief Secretary K Vijayanand and heads of Revenue, Agriculture, Water Resources, Finance, and RTGS departments, attended the meeting.