Hyderabad: In view of the recent heavy rains and consequent flash floods that caused huge loss of crops and widespread damage to property, apart from claiming at least 22 human lives in the State, a delegation of the Telangana government has urged the Union government to extend immediate financial assistance.

The delegation, led by Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, met Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi on Thursday. The delegation consisted of Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswar Rao, Special Representative of the Telangana Government in New Delhi AP Jithender Reddy. The delegation appealed to the Union Home Minister to declare the extreme weather events in Telangana as “a national disaster”. They requested that a Central government team be deputed to visit the flood-hit areas for assessing the damage firsthand.

During the meeting with Amit Shah, the Ministers explained that between August 25 and 28, there were unprecedented rains across Telangana, with severe floods in Kamareddy, Medak, Nirmal, and Nizamabad districts.

This led to large-scale devastation and damage to infrastructure. They informed that the State government has mobilised all available resources to carry out relief measures. Field-level monitoring helped in minimizing the loss of human lives, it was pointed out.

According to preliminary estimates, the total damage stands at Rs 5,018 crore. In all, 22 people have lost their lives so far. Loss of livestock, crop damage, and damage to houses are still being assessed. The Ministers reminded that last year, due to heavy rains in Khammam and surrounding districts, the State government had sought ₹11,713 crore in assistance. However, no special funds were released so far, except for routine allocations, which hampered rehabilitation works. Hence, they urged that the previously requested ₹11,713 crore, along with the present requirement of ₹5018 crore — a total of ₹16,732 crores — be released immediately.

Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah responded positively to the request. He assured that a Central inter-ministerial team would soon be deputed to Telangana to assess the damage.

Later during the day, the delegation requested Nirmala Sitharaman to provide special financial assistance for the Young India Integrated Residential Schools Program and its associated investments in Telangana.

They also requested exemption from FRBM restrictions.