Stating that the banks have already given clearance certificates on loan waiver scheme to farmers, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has made it clear that the State government was ready to bear the interest on loan waiver scheme if there was any claim by the Congress party. He asked Congress members to submit details if there were any such cases across the State.
The Congress MLA N Uttam Kumar Reddy said they will submit a list within 10 days. Replying to the opposition parties’ queries after Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy spoke as part of short discussion on crop loan waiver, minimum support price and agricultural allied matters, KCR said the TRS government was more committed and concerned on the farmers’ issues. He said the bank officials renewed loans to the farmers, who got loan waiver totally.
He said that the spurious seed menace has turned as a big problem. The farmers, who have no money to buy branded seeds, were purchasing spurious seed and factious serious problem later. The government included spurious seed menace under PD Act and filed several cases in this regard.
Earlier, CLP Deputy Leader T Jeevan Reddy initiated the discussion on the subject. He demanded the government to clear the interest on loan waiver as assured by the Chief Minister. He demanded the state government to give bonus on the crop and purchase cotton through CCIs. He also demanded the state government to extend minimum support price to the farmers’ production besides purchasing cotton irrespective of moisture percentage.
Listing out the central government’s agricultural schemes, BJLP leader G Kishan Reddy alleged that the state government failed to control the spurious seed resulting in incurring heavy losses by the farmers. He asked the state government to send the officials to estimate the crop due to heavy rains.
TTDP MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah demanded the state government to file PD Act cases on fake seed companies instead of dealers. He alleged that the state government failed to file counter against spurious pesticide companies. The insurance companies failed to deposit the amount in the accounts of farmers, he pointed out and demanded the state government to tell as to what assurance the state government will give to the farmers committed suicides.
MIM member Mouzam Khan, TRS member Gadari Kishore and CPM lone member Sunnam Rajaiah were also participated in the debate.
Replying to the debate, the Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy has said that the TRS government will give Rs.4,000 per acre and as part of it the state government has taken up land records purification program. He said that the state government was providing irrigation water to two crops, power, seeds and minimum support price to free the farmers from debts. He said that the TRS government was a pro-farmers government. He said that the state government solved the power problem within six months after coming to power.
Stating that the land records purification program was a historical one, Pocharam said that he was supervising the program personally. The government has taken up filling up of 1520 jobs in agriculture department and appointing an agriculture officer for every 5000 acres, he informed the house. He said that the government waived off Rs.16,124 crore loans of 35.30 lakh farmers. The government cleared all loans of farmers of fresh and old loans below Rs.1 lakh. (NSS)