TRS demands all-party meet to bail out drought-hit farmers

Hyderabad: Accusing the state government of neglecting farmers in the Telangana region,the Telangana Rashtra Samithi on Tuesday demanded that the state government convene an all-party meeting to discuss their problems on a priority. Addressing the media,TRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao demanded that the government respond in an appropriate manner in the wake of 15 suicides by drought stricken farmers in Telangana region,mostly from Medak and Warangal.There is a steep rise in the number of suicides by farmers ever since this chief minister assumed power.The government must initiate measures on a war-footing to instill confidence among the farming community,who are reeling under drought.The failure of crop due to a variety of reasons is compounding their woes.They are unable to get the minimum support price even for paddy or cotton as assured by the Centre, he said. Rao asked the government to give Rs 15,000 per acre as input subsidy to farmers and ensure availability of farm equipment to farmers at 90% subsidy.If the government fails to respond in the next 72 hours on these issues,farmers will lay siege to the agriculture commissioners office in Hyderabad to make themselves heard, he said. Training on guns on all the ministers concerned,the TRS MLA said the current scenario in the region was because of the inefficiency and negligence on their part.The prices of fertilizers have increased by 100% in one year,the cost of seeds has grown many folds and the action plans by agriculture department are limited to their papers.What are officials and ministers concerned doing he asked.Demanding immediate intervention by the state government,he called upon the officials to ensure that they procured the produce at MSP and adjust the shortfall through the market intervention fund. Farmers in Telangana dig open wells and borewells and maintain them unlike their Seemandhra counterparts where maintenance of canals is carried out by the government.How can we justify the same MSP for farmers in Telangana and coastal Andhra region The government must immediately start desilting works in open wells in the region and bring these works under NREGS to minimize burden on farmers.If the CM is concerned about Telangana region,he must direct officials to dig one borewell for three acre against the proposed one borewell for 10 acre, he said. Harish Rao | TRS MLA

(Source-toi)

---

---