CM KCR’s visit: Over 30,000 farmers in Khammam to get relief of Rs 31 crore

Meanwhile, tenant farmers were a happy lot as CM KCR decided to extend crop loss assistance to them for the first time in India

Khammam: With Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announcing a one-time relief package of Rs.228 crore, farmers in five divisions in the district will receive a financial assistance of Rs.31 crore to cover up the losses caused by the recent unseasonal rains.

In all, standing crops like maize, green gram and black gram in 31,038 acres of land in 157 villages were damaged by the rains affecting 19,732 farmers in Khammam, Kusumanchi, Madhira, Sathupalli and Wyra divisions. Of the total affected area, maize that reached the harvesting stage occupied a major portion with 30,792 acres, according to the official report.

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The highest crop area damaged was in Madhira division in which crops in 21,978 acres of land were destroyed by heavy rains, high speed winds and water logging. As many as 15,860 farmers were affected in the division with maize in 21,901 acres of land getting destroyed.

Tenant farmers a happy lot

Meanwhile, tenant farmers were a happy lot as the Chief Minister decided to extend crop loss assistance to them for the first time in the country. The move came after Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar and local legislators took their plight to the notice of the Chief Minister.

While speaking to the media at Ravinutala of Bonakal mandal in the district, Chandrashekhar Rao noted that many of the farmers who suffered losses were tenant farmers and hence the State government wanted to provide relief to them.

A tenant farmer, V Ramakrishna of Ravinutala who sowed maize in about 17 acres of land, said he was very happy at the Chief Minister’s decision to lend a helping hand to tenant farmers. In the past, any relief offered in case of natural calamities was given to the land owners though the cultivation was done by tenant farmers, he said.

The Chief Minister during his visit to damaged agriculture fields in Khammam district also interacted with CPI State secretary Kunamneni Samba Siva Rao and CPI (M) State secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram. They accompanied the Chief Minister while he was addressing the media.