Farmers’ welfare our priority: CM
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday said the state government spent a whopping Rs 1.04 lakh crore on the welfare of farmers in the last 18 months.
Speaking at the Rythu Nestam programme, which was organised to celebrate the disbursement of Rs 9,000 crore in just nine days under the Rythu Bharosa scheme to farmers, the CM said: “Our top priorities are farmers, women, Telangana martyrs, students, and the youth of the state."
Revanth Reddy said that under various initiatives such as farmers financial assurance (Rythu Bharosa), farm loan waiver, free electricity for the agricultural sector, sprinklers, drip systems, ST Giri Vikasam pump sets, MSP, and bonuses on superfine rice, the Congress government had spent Rs 1.04 lakh crore within 18 months of assuming power in the state. “Congress government implemented its promise to waive farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh by spending Rs 25,000 crore to free 25 lakh farmers from debt.
The people's government also procured every grain of paddy at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), disbursing funds within 48 hours and paying a promised Rs 500 bonus on superfine rice,” he said.
Revanth Reddy emphasized that the struggles of Telangana always centered around land and farming rights. He recalled that with the support of Sonia Gandhi, the then chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, had announced free power for farmers.
Delivering a sharp critique of former chief minister and BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), Revanth Reddy challenged KCR to engage with him in a detailed debate about the decline of the agriculture sector, unfinished irrigation projects, and the sharing of Krishna and Godavari waters, all of which, he argued, had suffered in Telangana during the ten years of BRS rule.
The CM criticized KCR for leaving the state’s economy in shambles, likening it to a cancer patient now.
Reddy emphasized that while the state had a surplus of Rs 16,000 crore at the time of its formation, it has now accumulated a debt of Rs 8 lakh crore within ten years of BRS rule.
Revanth Reddy alleged that KCR and his associates amassed wealth exceeding that of Nizams (erstwhile rulers of Hyderabad state), becoming affluent, while the state has been pushed into a debt trap.
He accused the BRS supremo of deceiving farmers with a loan waiver scheme amounting to Rs 1 lakh, which included accrued interest.
Regarding government job appointments, Revanth Reddy stated that 60,000 vacancies had been filled, and appointment letters were distributed. He challenged KCR to reveal how many vacancies had been filled during the ten years of BRS rule.
He accused KCR of allowing the AP to go ahead with several projects on the Krishna River during the 10 years of his regime while neglecting the completion of pending irrigation projects in Telangana. The state government had cautioned the Centre against giving permission to the Godavari-Banakacherla project proposed
by the AP government, he said.
