Hyderabad, December 17: The Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) demanded that the recent flood ravage should be declared a national calamity and the Centre should release funds liberally.
During a short discussion on farmers’ problems in the state Assembly today, Opposition leader N Chandrababu Naidu demanded that the state government should prevail upon the Centre to see that the flood damage is declared a national calamity. “The sops announced by chief minister are insufficient to farmers. The input subsidy should be at least Rs 10,000 per acre,” he demanded.
He also demanded that Rs 200 bonus should be announced per quintal of paddy in addition to the MSP. Naidu also demanded that Rs 5 lakh ex gratia should be given to the kin of those died in the floods. PRP leader K Chiranjeevi too demanded Rs 10,000 per hectare and a paddy purchasing centre in every mandal.
CPI member Mallesh demanded that Rs 6,000 per acre should be given as input subsidy, while CPM member J Ranga Reddy wanted the Assembly to pass a resolution seeking the Centre to declare rain damage as national calamity.
Lok Satta Party (LSP) member Jayaprakash Narayan said that though the chief minister looked liberal, he confined the sop amount to Rs 900 crore. Had the state government announced Rs 100 bonus per quintal of paddy, it would be around Rs 1,500 crore and the state conveniently avoided that.
–Agencies