Date:05/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/05/stories/2005050517910500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Congress callous towards ryots: Telugu Desam

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: The Telugu Desam Party has demanded that the Government pay compensation to farmers whose fruit orchards have suffered damage in the recent hailstorm, besides ex gratia of Rs. 2 lakhs each to the families of those who died in 12 districts.

At a press conference here on Wednesday, the party MLAs -- D. Narender and Devineni Umamaheshwar Rao -- and the former Minister, Padala Aruna, said the Congress Government, which boasted of being pro-farmer, was busy promoting itself with mass contact programmes instead of helping the victims.