Centre lacks foresight concerning farming sector: Niranjan Reddy

Khammam: The Central government led by the BJP was lacking foresight concerning the farming sector and betterment of farmer’s lives, alleged Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy.

As the Centre was neglecting agriculture, on which the majority of the Indian population depend for livelihood, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has been strengthening the field of agriculture with a series of measures, the minister noted.

Niranjan Reddy along with Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar participated in vanakalam-2022 preparatory meeting here on Thursday. The Chief Minister has a perfect vision and forward planning to strengthen agriculture, he said.

Telangana was the only State in the country to deposit Rs 50,000 crore in the farmer’s accounts under Rythu Bandhu and to spend Rs 10, 000 crore annually on free power supply to farming needs.

During the past seven years the government has spent Rs 3.75 lakh crore on agriculture. So far 80,000 farmer’s families were benefitted from Rythu Bima. But opposition parties falsely campaigning that 80, 000 farmers committed suicide. Even criticising the advice to advance yasangi harvest by a month to avoid losses due to vagaries of nature, he noted.

Though the Centre remained incapable in procuring yasangi paddy, the TRS government was procuring paddy offering MSP. Congress and BJP parties which were promising the moon to farmers should do it first in the States under their rule, Niranjan Reddy stated.

The minister stressed on the need of improving farm productivity and to maintain the quality of agricultural produce in accordance with national and international standards. Use of organic fertilisers and pesticides has to be promoted, he suggested.

Minister Ajay Kumar laid emphasis on extension of agriculture, new crop management techniques, new crop patterns, organic cultivation methods for the betterment of the farming sector.

Chandrashekhar Rao was the only Chief Minister who filled up all the vacancies in the agriculture department and requested agriculture extension officers and VAOs to work for strengthening farming. Prior to 2014 no government cared about farmers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own State Gujarat failed to supply electricity round the clock to domestic and industrial needs while power holidays were given to industries. But all types of consumers were being supplied uninterrupted power in Telangana, Ajay Kumar said.

MP Nama Nageswara Rao, Rythu Bandhu Samithi State president, MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Agriculture Department Secretary Raghunandan Rao and others were present.

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