Monsoon brings relief to ryots, plays spoilsport with cricket

Hyderabad, Sep 18 (UNI) The widespread rain under the influence of a low pressure area brought much-needed relief to farmers in Andhra Pradesh, but played spoilsport with the ongoing All India Moin-Ud-Dowla Gold Cup cricket tournament on the first day today.

With weathermen predicting widespread rain with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall in Telangana as also North Coastal Andhra in the next two to three days, the three-day final between Hyderabad and Chemplast at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium here was likely to be washed out completely.

Happy with the rains which came after protests by farmers over shortage of power to energise farm pumpsets, Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy said, ''rains will be beneficial to farmers''.

''The rain god has blessed the State at a time when the opposition is politicising for narrow political ends the plight of peasants and make them lose self-confidence,'', he alleged.

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