· Uttam promises better livelihood for farmers
· Congress to give health, accidental insurance to farmers
· Farmers’ children to get free education if Congress wins
Kodad, October 7: Stating that farmers need better facilities for farming and a good MSP for their produce, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has promised that the Congress party, if voted to power in next elections, would bring the much needed turn around in the lives of entire farming community in the State. Farmers need good MSP and not alms, he said.
Addressing a massive ‘Rythu Garjana’ meeting organised by NGO Rythu Rajyam at Kodad on Sunday night, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the last four-and-a-half years of TRS regime proved disastrous for the farmers. Farmers neither got any support from the State or Central Government for farming, nor did they get good Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce. The crop insurance was not implemented properly and no farmer got any compensation for the damage they suffered due to natural calamities like drought or unseasonal rains. Situation turned so worse that more than 4,500 farmers committed suicide since the formation of Telangana State, he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the TRS regime headed by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao failed to take any measures to provide required relief to the farmers through MSP who incurred losses in every season due to rising prices of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and other input costs. Citing his observation during his visit to the market yards across the State, he said farmers remained neglected with literally no help coming from the authorities. He said that the crop loan waiver scheme implemented by the TRS Government was faulty and it did not benefit any farmer. The loan amount was split into four instalments and the government did not pay the additional interest amount incurred on loans. Consequently, farmers could not come out of their economic crisis and are still struggling hard for survival, he said.
The TPCC Chief informed that the Congress party would waive off crop loans up to Rs. 2 lakh in a single take. He dismissed the contention of KCR that the loan waiver being promised by the Congress was not practical. He said that the next budget of Telangana Government would be of Rs. 2 lakh crore and therefore, waiving off crop loans up to Rs. 2 lakh would not be a problem. “When Congress promised to give free power to farmers in 2004, no one believed it. But it was implemented with ease. Similarly, the crop loans of crores of farmers were waived off by the then Congress-led UPA Government in 2008 in a single take. Similarly, this time too, we will waive off up to Rs. 2 lakh crop loans in a single take,” he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also promised that farmers would be given bonus in addition to the MSP for 17 major crops by setting up a Market Intervention Fund of Rs. 5,000 crore. He said unlike present crop insurance scheme which did not benefit anyone, a new scheme would be introduced wherein the premium would be paid by the State Government. He also promised that farmers would be given health insurance of Rs. 5 lakh each. They will also get accidental insurance of Rs. 5 lakh. Further, children of farmers would get free education and the children of SC, ST, BC, Minorities and EBCs would be get total Fee Reimbusement without any conditions, he said.
The TPCC Chief said that the Tenant Farmers would be given all rights and they would be extended the benefits of Rythu Bandhu scheme.
The meeting was also addressed by Kodad ex-MLA Padmavathi Reddy, Rythy Rajyam president K. Upender Reddy, film producer Bandla Ganesh, A. Nagi Reddy of TJS, Burri Srinivas of CPM and others. (Maxim News)
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