Andhra Minister Pledges Bank-Route Drought Aid as Cooperative Hub Opens in Ongole
Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu has promised financial assistance to drought-affected farmers via commercial and cooperative banks, and defended the government's record on the cooperative sector.
Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu has said the State government will stand by farmers hit by severe drought conditions linked to El Niño, with assistance to be routed through commercial and cooperative banks.
He was speaking in Ongole on Tuesday after inaugurating the modernised headquarters of the Prakasam District Central Cooperative Bank (PDCCB), an event he attended alongside Social Welfare Minister Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Rajahmundry Rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, Ongole MLA Damacharla Janardhana Rao, Kanigiri MLA Mukku Ugra Narasimha Reddy, Joint Collector Kalpana Kumari and PDCC Bank Chairman K. Sitaramaiah.
The Minister said the government was collecting detailed reports on conditions in drought-affected areas from every district, and that the affected areas and mandals would be officially declared by October 1, 2026. Cooperative banks, he said, have a key role in sustaining the farming community and strengthening the rural economy.
He added that the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's vision of full-scale digitisation of cooperative banks would make services transparent and faster, and was expected to bring significant change to the agricultural and cooperative sectors.
Mr. Atchannaidu criticised the previous government for what he described as neglect of the cooperative sector, alleging that it weakened the system, avoided elections and relied on three-member committees. He claimed irregularities had run from Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies at the lower level up to the district and State levels.
A probe is already under way into alleged corruption in cooperative banks in Guntur and Vijayawada, he said, adding that criminal cases were being registered against those found responsible and that strict action would follow. He also assured that the government would extend full support to financially distressed cooperative banks to help them recover from losses.
On the same day, the Ministers unveiled statues of former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao and former Minister Damacharla Anjaneyulu in Pedakandlagunta village in the Kondapi constituency. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy described NTR as a visionary leader whose welfare and development schemes transformed the lives of the poor.
Recalling the former Minister's work in the region, he said Damacharla Anjaneyulu had resolved long-pending local problems, earned lasting affection as a respected elder and helped improve transport connectivity in Kondapi through the construction of roads and bridges.