Unabated suicides by farmers have cast a shadow on the efforts of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government to rejuvenate major economic activity, in which over 55.5 per cent of the population is still engaged in Telangana.
The first government of the newly-formed State is still grappling with farmer-related issues. Farmers, backed by Opposition parties, took to the streets to protest the government’s apathy in ensuring power supply to protect standing crops as irrigation is done mostly through borewells by using energy supplied under free-power scheme in the State.
Withering of standing crops due to huge power demand-supply gap led to scores of farmers’ suicides. The Opposition parties estimated the toll to be over 1,000 during the last one year, while the government contends that it was only 10 per cent of the figure put out by its detractors.
“The government had moved heaven and earth to meet the demand for power, compounded with denial of Telangana’s rightful share by Andhra Pradesh, and by the time of Rabi cultivation, we ensured that the farm sector got at least seven-hour supply,” Agriculture Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said, explaining the efforts put in by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to tide over the crisis.
On the positive side, the government announced crop loan waiver of over Rs.17,000 crore to over 36 lakh farmers with a waiver of up to Rs.1 lakh to every farmer who availed institutional credit. The government sanctioned Rs.4,250 crore in 2014-15 and relief of an equal amount will be provided this year too.
New initiatives such as provision of subsidy for poly/green houses, micro irrigation and farm mechanisation with Rs.550 crore to make farming a profitable venture are likely to have a positive impact on the sector. As the government could do little last year, it has allocated nearly Rs.8,000 crore to agriculture and allied sectors this year in addition to loan waiver of Rs.4,250 crore.
“With the help of a multi-pronged approach, we have plans for 6 per cent growth trajectory for the farm sector this year,” Mr. Srinivas Reddy stated. Complementing the efforts of the Agriculture Department, the Marketing Department has plans to modernise market yards and construct new storage space (godowns), all aimed at ensuring better price for farm produce.
Criticism from Opposition parties aside, the government is confident of supplying uninterrupted power to the farm sector in the daytime itself from next year. “The Mission Kakatiya programme and irrigation projects in the final stages of progress are sure to give a boost to the agriculture sector,” said Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao.
