Day Two of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly's budget session began with Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao adjourning the House for a brief while when members of the YSR Congress demanded an adjournment motion to discuss farmers' suicides and other related issues.
When the demand for an adjournment motion was rejected, agitated YSRCP members raised slogans and tried to disrupt the proceedings, the Speaker adjourned the House for over 10 minutes.
When the House resumed proceedings, the Question Hour began with members raising queries on several issues including issues like details of lands under Bhoodan Yagna Board, community cultivation of groundnut using sprinkler and drip irrigation systems, illegal diversion of essential commodities and welfare of destitute.
Speaking on the promotion of drip, sprinkler and other micro irrigation, Uravkonda legislator Y. Visveswara Reddy (YSR Congress) said that the use of such irrigation systems was proving to be extremely beneficial even in drought-affected districts like Anantapur.
However, he said that the need of the hour was to improve the modalities of the schemes, like increasing the extent of land holdings from five to 10 acres and include all farmers who register as beneficiaries in the scheme.
Replying to the question, Agriculture Minister P. Pulla Rao said that Government was determined to ensure that every farmer, who had applied for registration to be included under the scheme would be included. He added that the Government wished to cover districts like Anantapur on saturation mode.
To a question about illegal diversion of essential commodities, Civil Supplies Minister Paritala Sunita said that Government was determined to see that those Fair Price Shop dealers violating the rules were brought to book. She said that 1.38 crore white cards (Below Poverty Line cards) that were issued, atleast 8 lakh were found to be bogus and weeded out.
Ms. Sunita said that in tune with the Government's policy to see that essential commodities were not diverted and misused, e-weighing and e-PASS systems were being introduced in a phased manner. As of now 6,000 FP shops were covered, she informed the House.
