The Hindu : House seeks drought aid

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 07, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

House seeks drought aid

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD MARCH 6. The Andhra Pradesh Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution on Thursday urging the Centre to expeditiously release drought relief assistance of Rs. 2,373 crores and 20 lakh tonnes of rice for providing wage employment sought by the State Government.

The Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, who tabled the resolution, accepted an amendment proposed by a CPI (M) member, N. Narasimhaiah, calling upon the Centre for proper implementation of the Prime Minister's announcement postponing collection of loans from farmers by one year and giving them interest subsidy.

He agreed that the assurance was not being implemented in proper spirit.

The unanimity, however, proved shortlived as Congress and CPI (M) members staged a walk-out protesting against Mr. Naidu's refusal to concede their demand to waive electricity dues to farmers amounting to Rs. 680 crores and to pay ex-gratia to families of ryots who committed suicide.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, who was replying to a marathon two-day-long debate on the grave situation in the State following 32 per cent rainfall deficit this, announced a new drought relief package of Rs. 266 crores.

This is in addition to Rs. 2,280 crores available with the Government as unspent balances for 2002-03 and budget allocation for the first quarter of 2003-04. ''Nearly 40.12 lakh out of 1.65 crore families in the State will be covered by some form of subsidy or assistance,'' he added.

A highlight of the package is the promise to distribute 10 kgs of rice free of cost to each of the 10 lakh old, infirm and physically handicapped persons left behind in their native villages by their families who have migrated to other districts in search of work. This scheme will last for the next four months.

The free rice will cost the exchequer Rs. 36 crores. Other components of the package include wage employment (Rs. 100 crores), purchase of cattle fodder (Rs. 25 crores),rural water supply (Rs. 75 crores) and urban water supply (Rs. 30 crores, including Rs. 10 crores for Hyderabad city).

The Chief Minister said the State Government had so far released Rs. 341.55 crores for drought relief without waiting for Central aid. Rebutting the sharp criticism by Congress members about misuse of the food-for-work programme last year, he said that the Prime Minister, A. B. Vajpayee, had himself lauded its implementation in Andhra Pradesh.

He, however, assured the House that there would be no scope for allegations this year since he had sent out clear instructions that all works must be identified and got executed by works committees of Gram Panchayats without interference by middlemen. Besides, all-party committees would meet once a fortnight to thoroughly review all wage employment works.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu reacted positively to a suggestion by the Congress deputy leader, J. C. Diwakar Reddy, to enact a legislation to ban cultivation of paddy, a water intensive crop, in the perennially drought-prone Anantapur district.

He said he would give top priority to the district in implementing the ambitious Rs. 1120 crore drip irrigation project under which farmers are entitled for 50 per cent subsidy.

Turning down the demand of the Leader of the Opposition, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, for waiving electricity dues on the pattern of Maharashtra, he said power was being supplied to farmers in AP at 31 paise a unit against 90 paise in the Congress-ruled State.

Moreover, the Government had already waived the entire surcharge on agricultural and domestic consumers whose average consumption is less than 100 units at a cost of Rs. 142 crores to the exchequer.

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