Telangana Praja Front here on Thursday urged the State and Central governments to come to the aid of farmers, who suffered huge losses on account of unseasonal rains in the State in the past few days.
Addressing the media here, TPF State vice-president Maddileti and coordinator M. Veda Kumar have appealed to the government to disburse Rs 50,000 per acre to the affected farmers immediately, otherwise, there is a danger of the demoralized farmers resorting to suicides in despair. They said the farmers were not recovering their investment on agriculture due to mounting debts, burden of interests, lack of remunerative prices announced by the government and being cheated by the middle men in the market yards. Due to this malady, over 6,000 disgusted farmers had committed suicides in Warangal district alone during the past 17 years.
In the latest rain havoc in the district again, standing crops in 1.5 lakh acres worth Rs 220 crores was destroyed especially paddy, maize, mirchi, mango, water melon, musk melon, vegetables and so on were razed to the ground, they added. Besides, over 200 villages are in darkness as 13 power sub-stations, 17 transformers, over 2,000 electric poles were uprooted and numerous cattle and other animals perished, they explained.
Pointing out that only six persons killed in the rain havoc were identified and paid a paltry ex gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh to their kin, the TPF leaders demanded that the ex gratia be hiked to Rs 5 lakh for the kin of each deceased. (NSS)