Harish Rao asks Centre to help drought-hit state
The government requested the Centre to hike Minimum Support Price
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-11-04 04:23 GMT
Hyderabad: The TS government has sent an SOS to the Centre, asking it to come to the rescue of the drought-hit state, besides helping cotton and other farmers who are in deep distress. The government requested the Centre to hike Minimum Support Price (MSP) on cotton from Rs 4,100 to Rs 5,000 per quintal, open more purchase centres and establish a third Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) office in Hyderabad.
It also urged Union water resources minister Uma Bharati to provide financial assistance to the second phase of Mission Kakatiya that begins next January, declare Pranahita-Chevella as a national project, release Rs 450 crore under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits programme, and grant Central assistance for dry areas, among others.
Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao rushed to New Delhi along with party MPs P. Jitender Reddy, B. Vinod Kumar, K. Prabhakar Reddy and state representative in New Delhi Ramachandru Tejavath, in the wake of protests by cotton farmers over inadequate MSP and purchases. He met Ms Bharati, Union textile secretary S.K. Panda and Union food and public distribution secretary Vrinda Swarup and discussed various issues.
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