Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has called upon the people not to believe TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s propaganda that he would waive off farmers’ loans.
Addressing a public meeting here on Monday, Kiran Kumar Reddy said the Centre would only waive farmers bank loans and in 2008 the UPA government had waived Rs 63,000 crores.
Stating that people were intelligent than leaders, Kiran Kumar Reddy said people would deliver their verdict in the elections after listening to all political leaders. The Chief Minister exuded confidence that the farmers would cast their vote to the Congress party, which was looking after the welfare of the farmers. He alleged that Chandrababu was spreading falsehood only for the sake of political gain. Chandrababu was confusing the people even though they defeated him twice in the elections, he added.
The Chief Minister said the Congress would stick to its word, but Chandrababu never fulfilled his promises and increased power charges and price of Rs 2-a-kg rice during his rule. He said the Congress governments alone would stick to the word given by them and stood behind the farmers. He asked whether Chandrababu has guts to say that his party was a pro-farmers party. He said the Congress has guts to proclaim they were pro-farmers governments.
The Chief Minister said Rythu Chaithanya Yatras were not easy programs and were taken up with a great aim. The scientists, bankers, irrigation, power and concerned officials will go straight away to the farmers and ask their problems and give suggestions to the farmers, he said. He said the government conducted 37,000 Rythu Chaithanya Sadassulu across the State and it was going to conduct them in 74 divisions in the coming days and about 19 lakh farmers would participate in the sadassulu.
He recalled that Chandrababu Naidu government and NDA government at the Centre before 2004 used to give loans to the farmers at 11 to 12 percent, but Dr Manmohan Singh’s UPA government, under Sonia Gandhi’s leadership reduced it to 7 per cent. He said the Centre had allocated Rs 7 lakh crores loans to the farmers this year as against Rs 70,000 to 80,000 crores allotted in the past. He said the State government would distribute Rs72,000-crore loans to the farmers this year. He said his government increased up to Rs 5500 crores to Agriculture and its allied sectors as against a meager Rs.900 crores. He said the State government was extending interest-free loans to the farmers in the State since last year.
He said the State stood as a model in the country in extending interest-free loans to the farmers and the Congress in Karnataka had included this scheme in its manifesto in the recent elections. He said the government was spending Rs 1400 to 1500 crores for interest-free loans and Rs 4,000 crores for free power supply in the State every year. He said the power crisis has arisen because of lack of water but the government supplied adequate power to the farmers.
The Chief Minister said the government was providing water to the 22-lakh new ayacut under Jalayagnam scheme. The government was also providing water to 82,000 acres under Alisagar, Guthpa projects in Nizamabad district. He said plans were prepared to provide water to 30 lakh acres this year by completing 46 projects completely or partially. He said the government was spending Rs 1.85 lakh crores under Jalayagnam scheme.
Kiran Kumar Reddy said his government has entered into an agreement with the Maharashtra government on Pranahitha-Chevella project. He said this agreement is the first one in the last 30 years and the credit goes to Congress government only. He said his government was firm to complete the project at a cost of Rs 38,000 crores. He also said he was mounting pressure on the Centre to confer national project status to the Pranahitha- Chevella project with the help of State MPs.
He said Rs 165 crores were allotted to the Nizamabad Medical College and Rs 10 crores to Telangana University. He said Rs 9 crores would be allocated for construction of a new district Collectorate building. He also added that a polytechnic college would be set up in Bodhan town. He assured that funds will be sanctioned for developmental programs along with mosques. He said irrigation projects will be sanctioned if Irrigation Minister Sudarshan Reddy, who hails from Nizamabad district, sends proposals to him.
Ministers Kanna Laxminarayana, Sridhar Babu, Sunitha Laxma Reddy, MP Madhu Yashki Goud, Government Whip E Anil, former Speaker K R Suresh Reddy, Shabbir Ali, Rajeshwar Rao, MLA Shinde and officials were present. (NSS)
