TDP senior leader and MLA Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao has alleged that Agriculture Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana has not shown at least one percent of the concern he was showing towards winning Prattipadu and Macharla seats in the ensuing by-elections rather than come to the aid of the farmers, who were badly hit by untimely rains and hailstorms.
Talking to the media at the NTR Trust Bhavan, here on Monday, Uma said that the Agriculture Minister should disclose details about how many farmers were referred by the government for input subsidy and how many of them have received the same. He also questioned if the minister did not find time to even think about the plight of the farmers. He asked the minister to explain the purpose of the ongoing Praja Patham program, if the government was unable to help the farmers, who were in dire straits. He said that the Praja Patham program was more like a tirade against the Opposition than a program to take the administration to the doorsteps of the people, for which it was meant.
He said that because of untimely rains and hot gales, farmers had lost mango, vegetables, turmeric and mirchi crops and the official party leaders had no time to go to the farmers and console them. He also alleged that not even a single farmer was helped under the Rythu Bandhu scheme and none had received insurance amount. He told the media that not even a single acre was cultivated under the Krishna and Godavari delta during the Rabi season, due to adverse conditions.
Stating that the government was not getting remunerative prices to tobacco, mirchi and turmeric crops grown by the farmers by spending lakhs of rupees, he said there was no response from the government even when the farmers took to roads to agitate on their problems. He demanded immediate payment of input subsidy to the farmers, who had lost their crops due to untimely rains. (NSS)