Amaravati: No Sankranti in distressed farmers' homes, says Lokesh

Amaravati: TDP national general secretary and former minister Nara Lokesh on Monday urged Chief Minister YS JaganMohan Reddy to extend necessary support and pay pending dues to lakhs of farmers so that they can happily celebrate Sankranti festival with their families and friends.

In a letter to the Chief Minister here, Lokesh said that usually, Sankranti would bring joy in the lives of farmers as they get their harvest at their homes during this season. But, this year, no farmer's household was happy because of the successive crop losses due to natural calamities and floods. The government was not only indifferent to the farmers' losses, but it was also not clearing pending dues.

Lokesh demanded immediate payment of Rs 2,788 crore dues towards the foodgrains already purchased by the government from over 2 lakh farmers. They were going round the offices for the last two months but there was no response. They brought huge loans and cultivated the crops. Now, they were suffering greatly because of the government's callousness. The situation was so alarming in the State that there was no guarantee even for those who sold their harvest to the government.

Lokesh deplored that during the 2020 kharif season, the farmers suffered a crop loss of Rs 10,000 Cr. Crop damages were reported in over 50 lakh acres due to heavy rains, floods and natural calamities. In the Nivar cyclone alone, crops were damaged in over 17.33 lakh acres. The government had not extended any support andthere were no adequate purchases of discoloured, moist and sprouted crops at the purchase centres.

Accusing the government of total indifference, Lokesh said that the farmers were forced to sell their crops to middlemen. The farmers got less than Rs 1,000 per quintal for A grade variety foodgrain as against the Rs 1,888 in the open market. Even the civil supplies corporation was stuck in debts because of the government's lopsided policies.

Chandrababu regime ensured payments for purchased foodgrains within 48 days but now the deadline was increased to 10 days. Even this was not being followed with the farmers being made to wait forpayments everyday.Lokesh pointed out that the farmers were facing lots of problems after crop purchases were linked to the RythuBharosaKendras. Even the e-crop bookings were giving troubles due to lack of awareness. There was 100 percent e-crop booking during the TDP regime.

Now, the farmers were losing heavily as e-crop booking was made mandatory while the lack of awareness led to most farmers not registering their names. The farmers' dues should be urgently paid to resolve their problems.The former minister said that the groundnut crop alone was damaged in over 18 lakh acres. The farmers' situation in Anantapur and Kurnool districts was pathetic.

They did not receive a single paisa crop compensation from the state. Even the cotton farmers were not getting a good price. There were scarce purchases at the government centres. Most farmers were selling their produce to middlemen unable to take their crops to the purchase centres.

Lokesh deplored that the support price promised for the dampened cotton was not paid by the government in the field level. The chilli farmers were also badly hit with their crop totally damaged in the heavy rains. Unless the state ensured support price and clear foodgrain dues, there is no way the farmers could celebrate this Sankranti with happiness.

In a separate statement, Nara Lokesh asked whether the foreign education opportunities were solely meant for the children of the Chief Minister but not for those of the ordinary families in the State. Minority girl Maqbul Jan took out a 750-km Padayatra from Hindupur to Amaravati but the ruling YSRCP used the police to obstruct her and gave her needless problems. Her troubles and anguish exposed how badly and heartlessly Jagan was running his government in the state.