Shun Anti-Farmer Policies

17 Oct 2016 5:20 PM

Hyderabad, Oct 17: YSR Congress has said that the Chandrababu Naidu government should shun its anti-farmer attitude and clear all the dues including input subsidy and rescheduling of loans. Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Party MLA G. Srikanth Reddy said; ‘the deficit rainfall has put the farmers in distress. Farmers have taken up paddy and groundnut cultivation in extended areas and the lack of rainfall has had a negative effect.

Though the extent of sowing has increased the deficit rainfall has dealt a severe blow and we demand that the State Government should clear all the loans of farmers, besides rescheduling them and clearing the input subsidy with arrears.’ When there was severe drought in the state, YSR has mounted pressure on the Centre and effectively dealt the situation by getting waiver from the Centre. Of the 31 districts which benefitted out of the scheme, 16 were from Andhra Pradesh, he said adding that YSR had a genuine concern for farmers. Chandrababu Naidu has been allotting more time and money for publicity and not for taking steps to mitigate farmers’ issues, he said.

Meanwhile, in a separate press conference party leader Topudurthi Prakash Reddy has said that the Government should try to scale down the cost of irrigation projects by taking up economical steps instead of the module that benefits the contractors

Projects on the Handri Neva should be dealt with by talking to the neighbouring Karnataka Government and getting water from Upper Bhadra project which would save huge amounts of money. The Rs 2,000 crore announced by TDP could be scaled down to Rs 500 to complete the project, he said adding that if proper steps are taken all unfinished projects of Jalayagnam would be completed at the minimum cost possible.