Hyderabad, March 10: Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy yesterday said that he would lead an all-party delegation to Delhi to press the Centre to declare the crop damage in several districts due to the recent untimely heavy rains as a national calamity.
Intervening during question hour in the Assembly today, the chief minister said the MPs from the state had already met the Prime Minister on the issue. “If necessary, I will lead an all-party delegation to Delhi,” he said. “I have requested the Prime Minister twice to declare the rain havoc as national calamity. The Centre is currently studying the subject and I am expecting a positive decision,” the chief minister said.
He recalled that the input subsidy has been increased to Rs 6,000 per hectare in the state and it would be implemented with effect from December 2010.
On the demand of permitting rice exports to other countries, Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the state urged the Centre to permit them to export 15 lakh tonnes of boiled and another 15 lakh tonnes of BPT rice. But, the Centre was of the opinion that the export would trigger rice price in the local market and permitted to export only one lakh tonnes of rice, the chief minister explained.
He hoped that the farmers would get Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 towards insurance amount after March. The government will bring a new legislation for protecting the interests of the tenant farmers, the chief minister said and added that a Bill to this effect would be introduced in the current session of the Assembly. He also said that the government was trying to implement NREGS to farmers and farm labourers.
Disputing the government’s claim, Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the discoloured paddy was not procured by the state agencies. He wanted the state to relax the norms to purchase the discoloured paddy.
Earlier, replying to the main question, civil supplies minister D Sridhar Babu said the entire discoloured paddy was purchased. On the availability of godown space in the state, Sridhar Babu said the Centre was creating an additional godown space based on a certain formula.
However, not satisfied with the government’s reply, the lone CPM member J Rangareddy staged a walkout, while the TDP members including Naidu staged a dharna near Speaker’s podium after adjournment of the House for the day.
–Agencies