Andhra Pradesh doubles horticulture subsidies to support chilli farmers in Palnadu
GUNTUR: Amid growing concerns over the viability of traditional crops like chilli, which occupy 46,000 out of 48,000 hectares of horticulture land in Palnadu district, the State government has significantly increased subsidies for horticulture crops for the 2025-26 financial year. The move is expected to boost the income of farmers and also horticulture.
Speaking to TNIE, Palnadu District Horticulture Officer (DHO) Ramana Reddy said that over 90,000 farmers are engaged in horticulture in the district, out of which over 85% farmers are involved in chilli cultivation.
However, the plummeting price of various chilli varieties led to widespread losses. 'To prevent losses and benefit the farmers, the State government has doubled subsidies for horticultural crops in 2025-26. This substantial increase will encourage more farmers to shift to horticulture, which offers better returns than traditional crops,' he said.
The revamped support scheme includes not just the distribution of fruit saplings, but a comprehensive three-year subsidy covering maintenance, irrigation, fertilisers, and pesticides. Under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), small and marginal farmers with up to five acres of land are eligible for 100% subsidy-including free saplings and full support for orchard development.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
21 hours ago
- Indian Express
CAG holds horizontal audit of Jal Jeevan Mission, reports soon
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) is conducting an extensive performance audit of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the government's flagship scheme aimed at providing tap water connections to all rural households, The Indian Express has learnt. According to sources, the JJM audit exercise is in an advanced stage and reports are expected soon. The process began about one and a half years ago after the CAG included the subject in its audit plan. It is covering the implementation of the JJM in states from the financial year 2019-20 to 2023-24. The CAG is conducting a horizontal audit of the Mission, through its field offices led by Principal Accountant Generals (PAGs) or Accountants General (AGs), across all states. The fieldwork in most states is over, while in some of the states, the exercise is at the report-writing stage, said a source. Reports of two states have already reached the CAG headquarters, the source said. Once the reports are finalised, they will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly of respective states, said the source. The audit is conducted at state level and not at the national level as the state governments are at the forefront of implementing the JJM. All aspects of JJM implementation, including planning and financial performance, are covered under the audit. The reasons behind cost escalations will also be examined across the states, said a source. According to sources, the CAG picks up a scheme for audit usually after 70-80% expenditure is over. The JJM started in 2019-20. In the initial years, the expenditure was low. Therefore, the CAG selected it for audit after the first phase was completed in 2023-24, said the source. Along with JJM, the CAG is also conducting a horizontal audit of MGNREGS across states and these reports are also expected to be finalised soon. The last time CAG conducted a nation-wide audit of the NREGS was in 2013. This is the first major audit of the JJM since its launch in 2019. The CAG had conducted a performance audit of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) of which a report was presented in 2018. It covered the period from 2012 to 2017. In 2019, the Centre subsumed the NRDWP to launch the JJM. Since then, this is the first audit exercise conducted by the CAG. The Centre has deployed over 100 teams of Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) for 'ground inspection' of the JJM schemes across the country. The move followed a meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary on May 8 to review the JJM schemes. Since the launch of the Mission in 2019, around 6.4 lakh water supply schemes with total estimated cost of Rs 8.29 lakh crore — more than double of the scheme's original outlay of Rs 3.6 lakh crore (Centre: Rs 2.08 lakh crore, States:1.52 lakh crore) — have been approved by the states. To meet the additional requirement of funds, the Jal Shakti Ministry had approached the Expenditure Finance Committee, headed by the Expenditure Secretary, to approve Rs 2.79 lakh crore additional Central funding over and above Rs 2.08 lakh crore. However, the EFC recommended only Rs 1.51 lakh crore as the Central share, which is 46% lower than Rs 2.79 lakh crore sought by the Jal Shakti Ministry, as reported by The Indian Express on April 21, 2023. On May 21, The Indian Express reported that an investigation of the data uploaded by states and UTs on the Jal Jeevan Mission dashboard showed that a crucial change in tender guidelines three years ago lifted the check on expenditure, and led to cost escalations. This resulted in additional costs totalling Rs 16,839 crore for 14,586 schemes, an increase of 14.58% from their estimated cost. The sources said the CAG has also initiated a horizontal audit of several other central schemes like Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, Welfare of Building and other Construction Workers, Green India Mission and Smart City Mission. The JJM audit will be similar to that. Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister's Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- New Indian Express
12 firms file applications for small hydel projects, five under evaluation: TNGECL
CHENNAI: A couple of months after the Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited (TNGECL) invited applications to develop Small Hydel Projects (SHPs) in the state, the agency has so far received 12 proposals from private developers, officials said. The capacities of each of these SHPs, which can be set up across canal systems, rivers and streams without having to build any structures for storing the water, can range from 100 kilowatts (KW) to 10 megawatts (MW), with each unit in an SHP not exceeding 5 MW. TNGECL managing director Dr Aneesh Sekhar told TNIE that the government is encouraging private participation in SHPs to boost renewable energy production. 'Of the 12 proposals, five are currently under evaluation. However, no project has been finalised yet. Approvals will be granted after detailed evaluation and site inspections,' he said. While TNGECL has not completed any SHPs so far, a 20 MW project is nearing completion in Namakkal district. 'Most of the work is over and the plant will begin power generation soon,' Sekhar added. Tamil Nadu had released a policy for SHP late last year. 'Based on the policy, we are now processing applications. Private firms with access to water sources can apply to set up these plants,' another senior official said. He said the firms can generate power for their own use (captive use), sell it to third parties within the state, or supply to distribution companies to help meet the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) targets set by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC). While the RPO set for 2024-25 was 29%, Tamil Nadu managed only around 26 %. The state has an installed hydropower capacity of 2,321.90 MW, but SHPs have so far received limited focus. In contrast, neighbouring Karnataka is actively promoting such projects, the official added.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- New Indian Express
Sabari Rail gets nod, land acquisition to begin in July
KOCHI: Nearly three decades after it was sanctioned, the 111-km-long Angamaly-Erumeli Sabari Rail project is finally making progress. As per the details shared by the state's Railway Minister V Abdurahiman, all hiccups associated with the project, which was sanctioned in 1997-98, have been removed and land acquisition for the project will begin in July. The news has come as a huge relief to the 5,510 families living on the 70-km stretch of the 111-km rail project as they were blocked from carrying out any type of land transactions after their properties were surveyed and survey stones installed. 'This is a project the state government wants to come to fruition and it will take steps to ensure that happens. The nitty-gritty associated with cost-sharing and other issues were sorted out during the meeting with the Union minister and railway board authorities as per the decisions arrived at the recent cabinet meeting held in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan,' Abdurahiman told TNIE. Earlier, when the state government had sought a loan from the Centre for the project, it was told the amount would be included in its borrowing limit. The state government had refused the proposal and sought a separate loan. 'The issue has been resolved. The state government has decided to shoulder the entirety of its share. We will see and tackle any fund issues as and when they arise,' Abdurahiman said, adding that the high land cost was a big issue in Kerala. 'In any other state, the total amount required to acquire land for the project would have been just 15% of the state's share. In Kerala, it is more than 30%,' he said. Prof K V Thomas, the state government's special representative in New Delhi, told TNIE that details regarding the continuance of the project will be hammered out by the state and Railway Board. 'They are ones with the know-how on project implementation,' he said, while also indicating the funds might be realised from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board.
