“The government has not cleared the loans of farmers as it promised four years ago. The farmers are not getting remunerative prices for their produce. Yet, the government is claiming tremendous growth in the agriculture sector. How can Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu make such claims?” asked YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Addressing a farmers’ conclave organised as part of the Praja Sankalpa Yatra here on Tuesday, Mr. Reddy said the TDP removed several promises it had made in the election manifesto from the party’s website. In the manifesto, the party had promised to waive ₹88,612 crore the farmers had borrowed from banks in the first year of being elected. The government failed to do this.
TDP also promised to set up a corpus fund of ₹5,000 crore for market intervention.
This promise too was not fulfilled so far, he said.
While the farmers were not getting remunerative prices, a corporate firm that had links with the Chief Minister was purchasing the agriculture produce at throwaway prices and selling it for a profit outside the State, Mr. Reddy alleged.
Polavaram
The Polavaram project work was progressing at a snail’s pace. Even after four years, the 90% work on the Polavaram Right Main Canal and 70% work on the Left Main Canal completed by the former Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, was the only saving grace, he said.
Mr. Reddy listed a dozen steps he would take on being elected to power in the ensuing elections. Top on the list was to give uninterrupted power free of cost to the farmers during day.
The others steps included immediate waiver of crop loans and the interest accrued on them; giving ₹12,000 to each farmer in May for investment; digging borewells free of cost for the farmers, exemption of road tax for tractors; and creation of corpus fund of ₹3,000 croe for market intervention.
Mr. Reddy’s padayatra covered Malkapuram, Paalagudem, Kovvalo, and ended here on the 162nd day.
