A central Inter-Ministerial Drought Assessment Team (IMCT) visited Kurnool district on Monday, November 2, to carry out a field audit of crop losses and drought impact during the 2026 Kharif season.
The team, led by Dr K Ponnusamy, Director of the Directorate of Oilseeds Development under the Union government, inspected agricultural fields, water bodies and irrigation systems in Cheruvu Thanda and Yerragudi villages of Tuggali mandal.
The team began with the major irrigation tank at Cheruvu Thanda, where it reviewed storage levels and local water availability. At Yerragudi, members walked through the fields of local farmer Hanumanthu to assess standing crops affected by acute rainfall deficits.
The team also viewed a photo exhibition on crop damage across the district. It held an interactive session with local farmers to evaluate yield decline, input losses and rural distress.
State Nodal Officer and WCDM Director M Venugopal Reddy accompanied the team. Its other members are Anuradha Batana of NITI Aayog, Dheerendra Kumar of NPMU-PHE, Pradeep Kumar of the Ministry of Food and Public Distribution, and Dr Sakshi Bhadauria of the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
District officials who accompanied the team were District Agriculture Officer Varalakshmi, Revenue Divisional Officer Obulesu, Horticulture Officer Raja Krishna Reddy, Animal Husbandry Joint Director Dr Rajasekhar and Water Resources Superintending Engineer Shaileshwar.
The IMCT collected first-hand field data and farmer testimonials to prepare its official drought assessment report for central financial assistance allocation.