The toll free telephone numbers for farmers with complaints on the implementation of the Debt Redemption Scheme are not reachable, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Raghuveera Reddy has charged.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the senior Congress leader said the farmers who were already under duress were being put to further hardship. Announcing toll-free numbers that could not be reached was self defeating, he said.
Farmers who were not able to reach the toll free numbers should call the mobile phone of the Agriculture Minister Prathipati Pulla Rao (9701274747), Mr Reddy said adding the Congress party was reminding Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu again to keep his word.
Before the elections, Mr Naidu said that all loans to farmers would be waived unconditionally, but after being elected several conditions were being put. “There is no scope for putting conditions now. Farm loans to the tune of Rs. 83,000 crore should be waived immediately – not in a phased manner or with conditions,” Mr Reddy said.
About Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu’s disclosure that the Andhra Pradesh Re-Organisation Bill had several lacunae and that there was a need to amend it, he said, that trivial matters like distribution of Rajya Sabha Members and MLCs between the new states were being cited as reasons for amending the Act. Mr Venkaiah Naidu was not talking about more pressing matters like the Centre footing the bill for Polavaram Project, giving Special Status to Andhra Pradesh, special packages for the development of four Rayalaseema and three North Andhra districts.
There was no mention of the Central Government’s assurance on developing Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati airports into International airports and development of the 1,000-km coastline of the new state. While these were all matters for which the Act should be really amended, the BJP was trying to sidetrack the issue, Mr Reddy alleged.
Former Minister Devineni Rajasekhar and former MLA Malladi Vishnu and other Congress leaders were present.
