Vijayawada: Congress demands immediate relief for drought-hit farmers

Vijayawada : APCC president Gidugu Rudra Raju has demanded that the YSRCP government provide immediate relief to the farmers who are suffering due to severe drought conditions in the State.

He said though over 400 mandals were affected by drought the government has declared only 103 mandals as drought-hit. Rudra Raju along with the Congress leaders visited the residence of farmer Srikanth, who committed suicide at Ratchamalapadu village in Veldurthi mandal of Palnadu district on Wednesday. On behalf of the Congress party, the PCC chief handed over financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to the kin of Srikanth.

He has demanded that the State government provide ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the family. Interacting with the local media, Rudra Raju said with a debt burden of Rs 10 lakh and with the callous YSRCP government not intervening on the agrarian crisis, Srikanth saw no hope and took the extreme step.

Srikanth was cultivating cotton and chillies but the crops failed due to lack of rains, he added. The PCC chief demanded that the YSRCP government must immediately assess the drought situation in mandals and provide the required relief to the farmers.

He said the Congress party always stands by farmers. Rudra Raju was accompanied by APCC working president Mastan Vali, APCC Doctors Cell State president Ramachandra Reddy, PCC general secretary Radhakrishna, Sevadal chairman Elamanda Reddy, SC Cell State president Saake Shankar, DCC president Alexander Sudhakar and several local activists of the party. The Congress leaders have consoled the family of the farmer Srikanth.

Rudra Raju further said that the rising farmers’ suicides, particularly for the past three years, can be attributed to the anti-poor and anti-people’s policies of the YSRCP government in the State.

Of the 685 mandals in Andhra Pradesh, over 400 are reeling under drought conditions in the state but the government is not providing relief to the drought-hit farmers, he regretted.