Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday directed the District Collectors to take steps to ensure that fertilizers and seed not diverted to blackmarket. He also held the Collectors responsible for availability of fertilizers and seed to the farmers.
Interacting with the Collectors through video conference from the Secretariat, Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the district authorities should take measures from time to time on availability of seeds to the farmers. He also discussed the issues being faced by the farmers, including shortage of seeds. The District Collectors were wholly responsible on availability of fertilizers and seeds, he made it clear. The officials should also ensure that fertilizers and seeds should be available to the farmers in the market at the prescribed price only. He instructed the officials to take up check-ups and steps to check the black marketing of fertilizers and seeds.
Stating that the officials should remain alert in the next 15 days, the Chief Minister asked the officials to brief the media once two days and rectify the mistakes pointed out by the media on seed availability.
Reddy also asked the Collectors to take steps to ensure seven-hour power supply to the farmers. If any shortfalls are found in any area, the officials should talk to the CMD of Genco, Transco and set right the matter, he suggested. As sowing season started, the official should monitor transformers’ functioning and immediately replace new transformers in place of defunct ones, he added. He also pointed out that it was targeted to extend Rs 52,500 crores loans to the farmers in this year, out of it, Rs 40,000 crores would be crop loans. The state government would pay the interest amount of the banks to the farmers, who took and repay the loan in time since Rabi season. He reminded that 11.50 lakh tons of seed were supplied to the farmers last year. It was targeted to supply 15.05 lakh tons of seed this year.
The Chief Minister also directed the officials to maintain zero tolerance on black marketers of fertilizers and seeds and take stringent action against them. There were stocks of 10 lakh metric tons of fertilizers in the State and they should be sold at old price. The CM stated that out of targeted input subsidy of 1,800 crores, Rs 1,368 crores were already distributed to the farmers, whose crops were damaged.
Underlining the need to improve the services of 108 and 104, the Chief Minister directed for filling of vacant posts in the Health department. He instructed for purchase of new 108 vehicles with Rs 70 crores by the end of the month to improve the quality of the service. He also directed the officials to supply dresses to the school students by July 10. The government was extending school uniforms to 56 lakh students at a cost of Rs 220 crores.
Ordering the officials to see there was no scarcity of textbooks, he asked the officials to take steps to supply textbooks to all schools in the rural areas by July 15. (NSS)