Usually July usually signals the start of intense activity in Telangana’s fields as the Kharif (monsoon) season kicks off. Not this year. With El Nino holding back the rains, most of the state’s crops aren’t even in the ground. Fields remain dry, and farming work has ground to a halt. In response, countless rural labourers are flooding into the state’s rural employment guarantee scheme—now called VB-G RAM G—as their only safety net.
El Nino’s Impact on Agriculture
The weather’s taken a tough toll on farmers statewide. Crops have barely been sown, and those who rely on day wages in the fields are struggling to find work.
Scale of the Impact: An astonishing 92.08% of Telangana’s villages—11,479 in total—are battling drought-like conditions this season.
Planting Falls Short: Officials aimed for 1.32 crore acres under cultivation during the Kharif season. Only about 59.8 lakh acres, or 45.2%, have been sown so far.
Job Losses: Without enough water, farmers can’t plant water-guzzling staples like paddy. Seasonal work has all but disappeared for labourers.
Record Labourer Attendance
With little to do on the farms, workers are turning to VB-G RAM G in droves. It’s the highest rush the scheme has seen in a decade.
Ten-Year Record: Usually, during monsoon months, only 5 to 8 lakh laborers would seek this work. Now, demand has multiplied several times over.
Surging Numbers: Since July kicked off, nearly 29.18 lakh people have joined rural works across Telangana.
Single-Day High: On one recent Tuesday, a staggering 2,10,592 labourers checked in for duty.
Districts Hit Hardest
Some places are feeling the drought much more sharply than others. Here’s where over a lakh workers are relying on rural employment projects:
Nalgonda: 1,72,402 laborers
Nizamabad: 1,36,712
Siddipet: 1,35,266
Mahabubabad: 1,32,666
Bhadradri Kothagudem: 1,25,946
Suryapet: 1,23,376
Govt Response: Launching ‘Jalasiri’
Faced with this crisis, the state isn’t standing by. Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Seethakka has rolled out a special initiative called ‘Jalasiri’ to deal with the drought—and to keep people at work.
Here’s what’s in motion…
Water Conservation Drives: The plan calls for massive construction of 9.60 lakh soak pits and 25,000 farm ponds. Workers will also clear and deepen tanks and lakes to capture rainfall in future seasons.
Guaranteed Jobs: Under new VB-G RAM G provisions, rural families are promised 125 days of paid employment—an essential lifeline.
Pushing for Central Aid: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is pressing the central government for extra funds and new project clearances, hoping to support farmers through what’s shaping up to be an exceptionally tough season.
As things stand, Telangana’s rural workforce keeps the state running, even when the monsoon lets them down. The question now is whether these relief measures will be enough as the drought drags on.