Farmers demand government to pay crop insurance premium

Kodangal: Farmers from different villages across Doulatabad mandal under Kodangal constituency on Friday demanded that the State government pay Rs 1.47 crore towards premium for crop insurance scheme.

While staging a protest in front of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS) office in Doulatabad mandal, the farmers, led by the Communist party of India and Bharatiya Janata Party, raised slogans against the government for ignoring the farmers.

While speaking on the occasion, Venkataiah, BJP member, said the farmers in the region were reeling under severe drought conditions due to lack of proper rains. On the top of it the government was asking the farmers to pay the crop insurance premium. The poor farmers were already in distress as they could not take up cultivation fully due to lack of rains.

"What we are demanding is that the government first pay Rs 1.47 crore crop insurance premium. The officials have stated that the government had given only 64 per cent of the premium on the crop loans during Kharif.," said Venkataiah.

CPI leader Raju said the government was ignoring the farmers' problems. The government could have concluded that it was doing a favour to farmer by granting input subsidy through Rythu Bandhu scheme.

This time the farm community was facing severe drought and the farmer were in distress. It is high time that the government paid the crop insurance premium, he said.

Neeli Reddy, Single Window president also demanded that the government must direct the PACS officials to pay the crop insurance premium and renew the insurance and come to the rescue of the debt-ridden farmers.