Kurasala Kannababu alleges past govt. for farmers suicide in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kanna Babu said that farmers had committed suicide due to the policies followed by the previous government rulers. He said that under this government, farmer welfare was the main objective, ensuring farmer investment in agriculture and supplying seeds at Rythu Bharosa Centres set up in villages without queues. In addition, immediate steps are being taken to support the families of those who have committed suicide.

State Agriculture Minister Kurasala Kanna Babu was incensed that the previous TDP government ignored the agriculture sector. He told the media on Thursday that farmers' suicides in Andhra Pradesh were tragic and alleged that Chandrababu has neglected the agricultural sector. As a result, 313 farmers committed suicide in 2019. It has been announced that financial assistance of Rs 7 lakh has been announced to support the farmer families. The district collector was ordered to go and hand over the cheques.

"Farmers are assured with the Rythu Bharosa Scheme. So far Rs 10,200 crore has been deposited in farmers' accounts. We supply quality seeds and fertilizers through Ruthu Bharosa Centers; bananas and guavas were bought by the government during the lockdown. We are taking steps to improve the quality of farmers' products. We are providing necessary assistance to the farmers, "said Minister Kanna Babu.

He said that the compensation was also paid to the families of farmers who committed suicide during Chandrababu's reign. So far in 2020, 157 farmers have committed suicide. Kanna Babu lamented that opposition leader Chandrababu's allegation that seeds were provided at the village level and seen without the actual queue lines and that people were standing in the queue line and dying of heart attack was atrocious.

As per the data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for the year 2019, Andhra Pradesh has stood third place in the country as far as farmers suicides is concerned. The state accounted for 10 per cent of such cases in India. As many as 1,029 farmers in Andhra Pradesh were committed suicide including 839 men and 190 women. Among states Maharashtra ranked first in farmers suicide followed by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.