Date:28/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/01/28/stories/2005012802480500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Cloud-seeding to continue

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JAN. 27. The Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has said that cloud-seeding will be made a permanent exercise to provide long lasting results.

Speaking after inaugurating an international workshop on `Weather modification and cloud-seeding technologies' organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) and the Rain Shadow Area Development (RSAD) Department here on Thursday, Dr. Reddy said 10 districts in the State were categorised as dark areas.

Cloud-seeding would be made more sustainable in the wake of its fruitful experience in 40 countries. The Government would do everything to mitigate the sufferings of farmers in drought-prone areas. He called upon JNTU and Agricultural University to coordinate to make the programme more beneficial.

TDP blamed

The Chief Minister charged the previous Governments with neglecting agriculture due to which the plight of the farmers had turned from bad to worse. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) came down from 25 per cent to 13 per cent during this period.

Dr. Reddy said his Government was pro-farmer and would focus on agriculture and irrigation sector and pay equal attention to the other areas also. It was confident of completing the pending irrigation projects so that an additional ayacut of 65 lakh acres was created, he added.

The Agriculture Minister, N. Raghuveera Reddy, said a monitoring committee was evaluating the results of cloud-seeding. The programme was taken up in two phases using three aircrafts and radar stations at Nandyal, Tirupati and Karimnagar.

The Minister for RSAD, M. Mareppa, said the State had recorded rainfall to the tune of 78.69 tmcft after the cloud-seeding in 250 mandals in 10 districts at a cost of Rs.20 crores.