YSR deplores Govt's indifference to plight of farmers

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, OCT. 25. The leader of the Congress(I) Legislature Party (CLP), Dr.Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy, has come down heavily on the Telugu Desam Government for "neglecting" the farming community, which is reeling under the rising cost of inputs and fall in the returns on their produce.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Dr.Reddy said the unabated suicide deaths of farmers highlighted the misery they faced with the Government leaving them to their fate. Prices of diesel, fertilizers, pesticides and power tariff had gone up from 20 to 80 per cent in one year while the farmer was not getting even the support price for his produce.

The CLP deputy leader, Dr.P.Shankar Rao, and eight legislators, Messrs A.Vittal Reeddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Jakkampudi Ramamohan Rao, N.Kirankumar Reddy, N.Raghuveera Reddy, A.Indrakaran Reddy and P.Govardhan Reddy and P.Veeranna were also present at the press conference.

The CLP leader said the Government of India announced a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 595 per tonne for sugarcane, which was only five per cent higher than the price declared last year. With the inclusion of the State advisory price, it worked out to Rs 630 per tonne in Andhra Pradesh, while the Maharashtra Government was offering Rs 860 per tonne.

He said the farmers, who grew paddy and maize, were the worst hit. As against the MSP of Rs 550 per quintal, the maize farmers were selling their produce at a distress rate of Rs 300 to Rs 350 per quintal. Maize was raised in over ten lakh acres.

The FCI promised to lift 55 lakh tonnes of rice but its godowns in the State were full. As against the MSP of Rs 510 per quintal for paddy, the farmer was not getting even Rs 400 per quintal. In Tamil Nadu, the FCI began the procurement on a large scale. The cococut farmer, who secured Rs 4 a coconut last season, was not getting even one rupee this season. The groundnut farmer faced an unprecedented crisis and many suicide deaths were already reported. The rural economy was shattered but the Government was least bothered, he alleged.

Campaign against corruption

Dr.Rajasekhara Reddy said his party would launch a campaign against largescale misappropriation of Government funds and corruption. He cited a number of corruption cases with which the TDP Ministers and officials were allegedly associated. The scandals were extensively reported by the newspapers but the Government was insensitive.

The CLP leader said one Minister was allegedly involved in the irregularities in sand quarrying in Kurnool district and another Minister was linked to smuggling of red sanders. A Telugu Desam functionary levelled the allegation against the Minister for Agriculture, Mr.V.Sobhandreewswara Rao, and demanded a CBI probe.

Dr.Reddy said the World Bank was advancing Rs 1,800 crores for laying 1400 km of link superways. There had been any number of instances of substandard and poor quality of works and misappropriation of funds.

In Chittoor district, the Collector had inquired into allegations in the weaker sections housing programme and confirmed misappropriation of Rs 1.01 crores but the Government had not initiated any punitive action.

He demanded that the corruption cases, exposed in the media, be thoroughly inquired into and the public money recovered under the Revenue Recovery Act. The CLP would take up a campaign against corruption, he said.

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Section  : Southern States
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