Due to adverse seasonal conditions prevailed in the State, in the reference 3rd read above, Government have requested all the District Collectors in the State to furnish the proposals as per guidelines communicated earlier for declaration of Mandals as Drought affected during Rabi 2018-19.
2. In the reference 4th to 14th read above, certain District Collectors in the State have submitted proposals for declaration of Mandals as Drought affected during Rabi 2018 -19.
3. In the reference first read above, Government constituted a Committee on Drought to scrutinize the proposals submitted by the District Collectors for declaration of Drought affected Mandals. During the review meeting conducted by the Committee held on 12.02.2019 have examined the proposals in detail, received from the District Collectors of Chittoor, Kurnool, YSR Kadapa, Ananthapuramu, SPSR Nellore, Prakasam, Vizianagaram, Guntur, Krishna, Visakhapatnam East, West Godavari and Krishna Districts for declaration of Drought affected Mandals in Rabi 2018 -19 in light of the guidelines prescribed by Government of India and recommended to the Government that 257 Mandals as Drought affected in Eight (8) Districts i.e Chittoor, Kurnool, YSR Kadapa, Ananthapuramu, SPSR Nellore, Prakasam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam districts during Rabi 2018 -19. (Out of which 228 mandals categorized as Severe Drought and 29 Mandal as Moderate Drought).
4. Government after careful examination of the reports furnished by the District Collectors and recommendations of the Committee on Drought in the references read above, it is decided to issue a Notification (Annexure -1) for declaration of 257 Mandals (as in the Annexure-II) as Drought affected, out of which 228 Mandals categorized as Severe Drought and 29 Mandal as Moderate Drought in Eight (8) Districts i.e Prakasam ( 40 Severe), Nellore (21 Severe), Chittoor (37 Severe), Ananthapuramu (32 Severe), YSR Kadapa (43 Severe), Kurnool (33 Severe), Vizianagaram (22 Severe) and Visakhapatnam (29 Moderate) during Rabi 2018-19.
5. The District Collectors concerned shall ensure deletion of the notified municipal/ urban areas and areas falling under permanent assured irrigation sources. Urban Mandals which are not declared as drought affected, shall be treated on par with drought affected Mandals for the purpose of drinking water. The District Collectors concerned shall issue a notification in the District Gazette as mentioned in Annexure - I&II in Telugu and English and take immediate further necessary action.
6. The Joint Directors of Agriculture, who attended the Review meeting conducted by the Committee on Drought, have requested the Committee that certain mandals need to be declared as drought affected as per Ground truthing norms/ guidelines. Such type of mandals 43 are identified, the time limit for declaration of drought can be considered upto March, 2019. Hence, Government is hereby directed all the District Collectors, to personally identify such mandals and submit proposals in the prescribed format to the Committee on Drought for its consideration as per the norms.
7. The Commissioner and Director of Printing, Stationery and Stores Purchase (Printing Wing), Andhra Pradesh shall publish the notification in the extra-ordinary issue of Andhra Pradesh Gazette dated, 13/02/2019.
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