Uttar Pradesh labourers praise Telangana’s agriculture schemes

The labourers, who migrated here to work in paddy plantations in a big way across the State, were impressed by the welfare schemes and facilities being provided to the agriculture sector by the State government.

Karimnagar: Farm labourers from Uttar Pradesh are praising the farmer-friendly schemes being implemented in Telangana.

The labourers, who migrated here to work in paddy plantations in a big way across the State, were impressed by the welfare schemes and facilities being provided to the agriculture sector by the State government.

Pointing out that apart from free 24 hour power supply, schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima and adequate water for agriculture fields through irrigation projects were helping farmers here a lot, they said there were no such schemes being implemented in Uttar Pradesh.

A 13-member team of labourers from Tanakpur road, Neoria Husainpur, Pilibhit district of UP, have been engaged in paddy plantation in different areas of the district during the last few weeks. Speaking to Telangana today, one of them, Ashid Bairagi, said that besides Telangana, they had worked in paddy fields in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other States over the last few years. Not just UP, but no other State was implementing such schemes for the welfare of farmers, he said.

They were not getting much work in UP since paddy was being cultivated in a smaller area, which was why they were forced to migrate to Telangana and other States to earn a livelihood. Moreover, they were getting double income in Telangana. They would get only Rs.350 as daily wages in UP, while in Telangana, they were getting Rs.600 per day, Bairagi said.

Another labourer, Golak Mandal, said that earlier, they used to frequently go to AP, but were coming to Telangana during the last four years. Compared to other States, more facilities were being provided to farmers in Telangana, he said.

Apart from this, the atmosphere in the State too was pleasant and the people were friendly, said Rina Mandal, adding that they would stay for three months in the State for work.

Meanwhile, local agents are engaging labourers from UP, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Chhattisgarh to work in paddy fields here. Besides providing shelter, cooking gas and rice, labourers are being given Rs.3,500 to Rs.4,500 per team for plantation of paddy in an acre of land. Each team works on four to five acres every day, with the agents charging Rs.900 to Rs.1,000 per acre as commission from the labourers.

A farmer from Ramakrishna Colony of Thimmapur mandal, Gujjula Srinivas Reddy said local labourers were charging Rs.5,800 to sow paddy in an acre of land. However, migrant workers would do the same work at much lesser rates.