Ravulapati Seetaramarao

No matter how big the storm is, if N Chandrababu Naidu oversees it, it becomes possible to contain the ferocity. As a chief minister who keeps losses within bounds, he calmly restores what is lost, while the storms gradually cross the coast. When Arnav and Murasu cyclones occurred, those storms extended from afar, and with several precautionary measures in place, the two cyclones that followed quickly caused less loss of life.

When the two struck Andhra Pradesh, Arnav that arrived on October 28 was estimated to cause about ₹4,526 crore in damage. The Murasu cyclone arrived on November 3. However, this damaged copper crops across 52,500 hectares. Preliminary estimates indicate that only about eight people lost their lives due to these two cyclones. The first cyclone reportedly caused crop damage over 90,000 hectares in the southern Odisha region. As always, after the central government officials visited at the ground level, the initial loss estimates were used to decide on financial assistance and other forms of support. Reports indicate that states like Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu have extended necessary aid to Andhra Pradesh during this crisis.

With the help of the Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS) and technical experts, casualties and property losses were minimised.

When Hudhud struck in October 2014, Chandrababu Naidu stood ahead of the officials with remarkable initiative, guiding in many ways and fighting the storm to safeguard lives, property, and livelihood in the face of the cyclone. Governments strive to lend a hand during crises, sometimes without people noticing, but it is very rare for a leader at the level of the Chief Minister to personally drive aid efforts across the ground. For politicians who think power is to be enjoyed, helping in times of trouble is a duty and a goal; for Chandrababu, this brought immense adulation and admiration from ordinary people as well. The Hudhud cyclone claimed 63 lives and caused damages worth about Rs 22,000 crore. There has always been a worrying factor about what would happen if a cyclone hit a region. Now, in the two Telugu states and in Odisha, people perceive such calamities as a regular threat—though it is a tragedy when they occur. The handling of such disasters often becomes highly challenging, and corruption tends to harden. Yet for ordinary people, and for those who depend on fishing along the coast, daily life becomes a heavy burden. Those who muster the courage to go out to fish face grim conditions, and the hardships persist until they return safely. Therefore, there is a growing need for skilled professionals who can anticipate such disasters through technology, for enhanced cooperation between state and central government officials, and for proactive, strategic measures to be put in place well in advance.

Along with state authorities, agencies functioning at the central level must act with utmost precautions to protect crops from these calamities. Rapid, well-considered strategic decisions that minimise losses have become indispensable. Likewise, government agencies responsible for timely compensation and delivering relief at the field level must increasingly adopt decisive actions. The Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme (Crop Insurance Scheme) was launched by the Centre a decade ago, but its utilisation at the field level remains limited. There are no records showing that the plan is being implemented in a manner intended to compensate farmers for losses caused by climate-induced natural adversities. If the government can bring all farmers under this scheme, it would provide some relief to those who suffered losses. It would be beneficial if states took responsibility for taking this scheme to the farmers and establish government machinery at the field level that provides relief to farmers.

Initially, there was no thought of reclaiming these compensation payments by the governments. However, with the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations, within two years prior, the national and state Disaster Response Funds were reclassified not as relief funds but as part of recovery and reconstruction under this scheme. Governments must consider how appropriate this is. When natural disasters disrupt states in such dreadful ways and push livelihoods into dire straits, the central government should be ready to provide urgent financial assistance and take all possible supportive measures. Only then will federalism and democracy have meaning and usefulness. Cooperative federalism should be actualised as a true federal arrangement in which the central government can function in a manner aligned with democratic values.

Presently, cyclones are occurring on a regular basis in one state or the other. To effectively deal with these natural calamities, and lessen the effect of losses of properties, crops and deaths, separate mechanisms at the state and national levels are urgently called for. Though disaster management machinery is now functioning at both levels, the inadequacy and technical assistance is evident. Hence, a specialised scheme is to be urgently thought of to give a credible helping hand in containing heavy losses. Best governance is then registered in the minds of affected people.

(The writer is a retired IPS officer, who has served as an Additional DGP of Andhra Pradesh)