GANAPAVARAM, (ELURU DISTRICT): Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy claimed on Monday that there was no need to declare any mandal as drought-hit in the last three years, as every reservoir was full and the groundwater levels increased to record levels even in drought-prone areas like Ananthapuram.
The chief minister said the production of food grains increased to 170 lakh tonnes in the past three years. The increase was of 16 lakh tonnes as against the 154 lakh tonnes during the Telugu Desam term of 2014-19.
For the fourth consecutive year in a row, the CM has credited Rs 3,758 crore as the first tranche of YSR Rythu Bharosa benefitting 50.10 lakh farmers. This was done at a Rythu Bharosa meeting in Ganapavaram village in Unguturu mandal of Eluru district.
Jagan said his government is committed to farmers’ welfare and providing assistance through Rythu Bharosa centres even before the Khariff started. Under the first installment in the fourth phase of the Rythu Bharosa Scheme, the state government credited Rs 5,500 to each farmer this Monday.
The remaining Rs 2,000 will be disbursed by the end of May under PM Kisan Yojana scheme.
Similarly, in October, at the time of harvest, Rs 4,000 crore would be credited in their accounts, and the remaining Rs 2,000 during the Sankranti, the end of the crop season.
So far, through Rythu Bharosa scheme alone, a sum of Rs 23,875 crore had been deposited directly into the farmers’ accounts. A sum of Rs 1,10,093 crore was spent for farmers’ welfare through various schemes.
Unlike the previous government, which spent only Rs 782 crore towards zero interest crop loans, the present government had paid Rs 1282 crore under the zero interest loans initiative.
Recalling the farmer welfare schemes, the CM said that for the first time in the history of the country, compensation for crop damage was disbursed in the same season and the government was paying crop insurance premium on behalf of the farmers.
The CM had announced he would continue providing the Rs 1.50 subsidy on power usage to all the small and marginal farmers cultivating less than five acres and extended the subsidy to aqua farmers up to 10 acres in aqua zone.
The government kept every promise the YSRC made during the elections, Jagan said, and added that he never thought in terms of politics while doing good to the people. He said as many as 147 agriculture labs are being set up in villages, 13 labs at district levels and four labs at regional levels to do soil tests as also tests relating to pesticides, seeds etc.
The CM said unfortunately, some farmers had committed suicide. The government is paying a compensation of Rs 7 lakh per family, if the deceased farmer had pattadar pass book or as tenant farmer he had a Crop Cultivator Rights Card (CCRC).
Terming the Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan as `Dathaputrudu’’ of Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan dismissed his criticism of the YSRC government.
The CM said the government is implementing every scheme in a transparent manner. The opposition ally Pawan Kalyan who took up a Rythu Paramarsha Yatra, could not find a single farmer who was not getting compensation for crop loss.
He said Pawan Kalyan could not question the former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu when the latter “betrayed” the people by not fulfilling the TD promise of a loan waiver and failing to implement farmer welfare schemes.
He said either Pawan Kalyan or Chandrababu Naidu have no right to criticise the YSRC government in implementing the welfare schemes for the farmers.
Transport minister Viswaroop, agriculture minister Kakani Govardhan, civil supplies minister Nageswara Rao, endowment minister Kottu Satyanarayana, AP legislative council chairman Moshen Raju, former minister Krishna Srinivas, Eluru collector Prasanna Venkatesh and others were present.
