Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh: Drought is becoming an equaliser in the villages of Andhra Pradesh. From landless labourers to the, so called, big farmers and landlords, virtually entire villages are turning up for work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme.
Now, the problem is that the government is not yet geared up to provide enough work to meet the demand.
From a landlord who employed dozens of labour, Rajasekhara Reddy has become a daily wage labourer under the NREGA scheme. This after borewells and standing crop on his 12 acres dried up.
"If seasonal conditions were good, I would have employed at least 40-50 people. Now I myself have to come seeking work under the NREGA because there are no rains," said Rajasekhara.
At this time of the year, usually farm labour is not even available for Rs 150 a day because everyone has work on the field. But this year, everyone, virtually the entire village, is turning up for work under the NREGA scheme.
As of now, up to 20 lakh people are getting work under NREGA in Andhra Pradesh. But the demand is much, much more and growing steeply. It has become a huge challenge for the government to meet the demand for work from an estimated 75 lakh to one crore people.
"Last year, we stopped worked for three months during the agricultural season because no one would come. Now during the same period, some 800 people are turning up for NREG work," said M Laxman, NREGA field official, Warangal district.
Bhoommavva, a farmer, for example took both her college-going sons to work as labour.
"I planted paddy on five to six acres. That dried up. Maize on three acres was drying up. I cut it to feed the cattle. The cotton crop is gone. So I have no option but to bring my two college-going sons also to work here," said Bhoommavva.
With NREGA becoming the only hope for survival, the state government has asked the Centre for an additional Rs 2000 crore.