Andhra govt 'failed' tenant farmers, alleges YSRCP leader
Amaravati, YSRCP leader K Nageswara Rao on Wednesday accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of "abandoning" tenant farmers ahead of the Kharif season.
The former minister stated that over 32 lakh tenant farmers, nearly 80 per cent of Andhra's agricultural workforce, are allegedly suffering due to the cancellation of tenant cards and the withdrawal of vital support.
"Naidu's focus is on Amaravati, not on farmers," said Rao in a release, claiming that tenant farmers now rely on private loans with up to five per cent interest, plunging deeper into debt.
During the tenure of former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, 26 lakh farmers received tenant cards, and over ₹8,300 crore in crop loans were extended, benefiting seven lakh tenant farmers, said Rao.
Additionally, over ₹752 crore was provided as investment support to Scheduled Castes , Scheduled Tribes , Backward Classes , and minority farmers, while insurance and compensation schemes protected lakhs of farmers, he asserted.
The former YSRCP government also procured damaged crops, bought rain-soaked paddy, and stabilized tobacco prices with ₹500 crore through Markfed, said Rao in the release.
A P Markfed , is a federation of Marketing Cooperative Societies in the district with the main object of helping the farmers to secure better price for their produce by taking care of their market needs and providing agricultural inputs.
Now, the Crop Cultivator Rights Card process has allegedly been stalled, the Annadata Sukheebhava scheme has been ignored, and farmers lack investment aid, facing mounting losses as the Kharif season nears, Rao alleged.
He also claimed that tobacco prices have crashed, with companies rejecting produce, while farmers face losses on 80,000 acres of Burley tobacco.
Rao urged immediate procurement through the Tobacco Board and called on Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan to seek the Centre's help for relief to distressed farmers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
Haryana govt cracks whip: 80 irrigation officials in soup over quality of concrete used in projects
At least seven to eight SEs (superintending engineers) are also facing disciplinary action, besides two chief engineers. While the SEs will face action under Rule-8, a displeasure note will be served on the two chief engineers. The list of accused officials and employees includes names of JEs (junior engineers), SDOs (sub-divisional officers), and XENs (executive engineers). These officials have been charge-sheeted under Rule-7 of Haryana Civil Services (Punishment & Appeal) Rules, 2016. Gurugram: Haryana government Wednesday initiated action against 80 officials of the Irrigation & Water Resources Department (I&WRD) for alleged corruption and negligence pertaining to quality of hardened concrete used in various projects under the department's aegis. The names of these officials, however, have not yet been made public. This crackdown follows a detailed probe triggered by substandard construction samples that have caused significant financial losses to the state exchequer. Documents accessed by The Print suggest that a high-level committee, constituted on 5 June under commissioner and secretary Mohammed Shayin, IAS, was tasked with framing draft charge sheets and displeasure notes against the officials in question. The committee includes senior officers including Jaideep Rao (chief engineer, I&WRD), Rakesh Kumar (superintending engineer), Hanish Kumar (executive engineer), Ajeet Hooda (executive engineer), and Mandeep Sheokand (executive engineer). Directed by Rao, the panel identified officials ranging from JEs to chief engineers for penalties under Rule-7. Rule-7 provides for imposing a major penalty against a government employee, like dismissal, removal or compulsory retirement after giving him or her a reasonable opportunity to defend their actions. Rule-8, on the other hand, mandates minor penalties like censure, withholding a promotion or an increment after giving the employee a fair chance to defend themselves. The investigation stemmed from quality control failure uncovered in tests conducted earlier this year, for which 48 concrete samples were collected from multiple irrigation projects. Of these, 18 failed to meet standards. A follow-up letter dated 7 June from chief engineer Jaideep Rao addressed to SEs of the department's vigilance wing revealed that officials failed to analyse test results against specifications, leading to significant deviations and financial losses. The SEs were directed to submit a comprehensive report within two days, with daily progress updates to be shared with the department's commissioner and secretary. 'Any laxity in compliance is viewed very seriously,' Rao's letter warned. Confirming the action while speaking to ThePrint Wednesday, Haryana Irrigation Minister Shruti Choudhry termed it as part of the government's zero-tolerance policy on corruption. She highlighted that vigilance raids, prompted by repeated complaints, exposed systemic lapses as projects neared completion. The samples that failed quality tests included hardened concrete samples and HDP (high-density polyethylene) pipes, she said. Choudhry noted that substantial payments had already been made to contractors, and the government is exploring recovery options. 'The charge sheets, outlining specific allegations and evidence, will pave the way for legal proceedings, with guilty officials facing dismissal, salary cuts, or promotion bans, though they retain the right to defend themselves.' (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: 'Kulguru, not V-C'—all official correspondence with Haryana education minister now only in Hindi
Hans India
3 hours ago
- Hans India
CPM slams one-year rule of coalition govt
VIJAYAWADA: CPM State secretary V Srinivasa Rao has slammed the one-year rule of the coalition government in the State stating that discontent was growing among the people on the government and its rule. He said the NDA coalition parties have given 178 assurances before the polls in the election manifesto but implemented only 16. He said the government will get only 1.5 grade points against the 10 for its poor performance and rule. Srinivasa Rao along with the CPM leaders Chigurupati Baburao, K Prabhakara Reddy, AV Nageswara Rao and Subbavaramm addressed a media conference at Balotsavam Bhavan here on Wednesday. Srinivasa Rao said people's income has not increased but the loans were mounting resulting in dissatisfaction and discontent. He released a book on one year rule of the coalition government explaining its failures. The CPM leader said the people of AP were vexed with the YSRCP rule and gave absolute majority to coalition parties with 164 seats in the Assembly elections. But the coalition government could not maintain the trust of the people. He said the government has taken one year to conduct the Mega DSC. He demanded that the government take back the lands allotted to the corporate groups if they fail to utilise the lands in five years. He expressed concern over the reports of crime against the women and other violent incidents taking place like murders in the State. He recalled the Tenali incident where three youth belonging to SCs and Minority were tortured by the police on the road and stated that there was no difference between the YSRCP rule and the coalition rule. Referring to Yogandhra Pradesh, he said what is the use of Yoga to the poor people who have no food and mental peace.
Hans India
5 hours ago
- Hans India
Reforms under PV were 'by stealth', not gradualism: Ahluwalia
New Delhi: Former Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said the 1991 economic reforms under former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao were characterised more "by stealth" than by a clearly signalled gradualist approach, noting that neither Rao nor then finance minister Manmohan Singh were proponents of "big-bang" changes. Speaking at the launch of author David C Engerman's 'Apostles of Development: Six Economists and the World They Made,' Ahluwalia placed both Rao and Manmohan in the category of "gradualists" – as he did himself. However, he distinguished between two types of gradual change what he called "gradualism" and "reform by stealth." "I don't know if I coined the phrase, 'reform by stealth', but I certainly used it and probably earlier than most. I used it to describe Rao's approach to bringing about reforms. Manmohan Singh was the architect, he actually knew what to do. "But, as he himself often said, he couldn't have done it without the prime minister's support. Neither Rao nor Manmohan Singh was a great believer in big-bang reforms. They were both, in that sense, gradualists," said Ahluwalia. The 81-year-old economist, who was a key member of the team that implemented the 1991 reforms, used an analogy from the shipping industry to explain his point. "One of my friends who was in shipping once said: the turning circle of a small boat is much smaller than a big liner. You have to accept that if you're steering a very large vessel, it's going to take time to turn. "In India, 'reform by stealth' really meant we are going to change direction, but we're not going to openly say so," he said, adding that this often meant reform announcements were made without clear timelines or commitments, in contrast to a more predictable and planned path. Ahluwalia explained that under a genuine gradualist approach, policymakers would communicate the trajectory clearly for example, announcing a phased reduction of tariffs over a 10-year horizon. This, he said, enables businesses and stakeholders to plan accordingly. However, he claimed, the approach that India took was different from gradualism and was "opportunistic." "Our approach was: our duties are too high, we are reducing them, and we must do more. But you do not tell them how much more, or when you'll get to what — and that was really an opportunistic approach... I call that 'reform by stealth' you are going to reform, but you're going to do it when you can, and that's different from my view of gradualism," he added. During the discussion, which also had former ambassador Shivshankar Menon as one of the panellists, Ahluwalia also emphasised the need for greater awareness of the economic challenges faced by neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Ahluwalia, who claimed that we are quite aware of what's happening in other developing regions Africa, Latin America and East Asia –, lamented the lack of consistent media coverage or public discourse in India about "what's happening next door." "You would think most people in India would be very aware of the economic problems of Pakistan, or why Bangladesh has faced repeated IMF interventions. But apart from reporting on an IMF programme — which many journalists seem to reflexively consider newsworthy — there is little coverage of what's happening in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Myanmar," he said. Ahluwalia highlighted that while India has also faced economic challenges in the past, particularly in 1980 and again during the 1991 balance of payments crisis, it has not had to seek IMF assistance since. "I recall in the 1991 crisis, we told the IMF in 1993, 'Thank you, the crisis is over.' As we walked out, we were saying it's really good not to be under IMF supervision. One of my colleagues said, 'Don't worry, you'll be back in 10 years,' and I replied, 'I'll take a bet with you.' The truth is, from 1991 to now, we haven't had to go back," he said. He credited successive governments for maintaining prudent economic management and stressed that India's relatively stable record stands in contrast to its neighbours, who have had to repeatedly turn to the IMF. "The best way of learning why we didn't have to go back is to find out why others did," he added. 'Apostles of Development,' published by Penguin Random House India, uncovers the pivotal role six economists Amartya Sen, Manmohan Singh, Mahbub ul Haq, Jagdish Bhagwati, Rehman Sobhan, and Lal Jayawardena played in shaping global poverty solutions after the Second World War.
