Telangana: Succour to rain-hit farmers

Hyderabad: The Telangana government will not send any report to the Centre on crop damage caused by recent unseasonal rains, in protest against Central government's unhelpful attitude towards the state, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Thursday, even as he announced financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per acre for farmers. KCR on Thursday inspected the crops damaged due to recent unseasonal showers and hailstorms in Khammam, Mahabubabad and other districts.

Speaking to reporters in Khammam, the CM alleged that the present policies of the Centre were not helpful to farmers in times of crop losses and that they benefited insurance companies instead. All the pleas of the state government have fallen on deaf ears, he said.

Stating that the country requires a 'new integrated agriculture policy', KCR disapproved of the present system whereby the state government had to report to the Centre about crop losses and a Central team would then visit and assess the damage, following which financial assistance is announced after six months. The incumbent NDA government's attitude is such that they are only interested in politics and not bothered about farmers, he alleged.

The amount is just over Rs 3,000 per acre for maize and Rs 5,400 for paddy. The Chief Minister announced a financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per acre to farmers to enable them to recover their losses and resume farming. Within hours after the announcement Secretary (Revenue, Disaster Management) Rahul Bojja issued government order releasing the money.

KCR said the government would also provide relief to tenant farmers who suffered crop losses. According to KCR, crops in over two lakh acres were damaged and the state government would sanction Rs 228 crore immediately to provide financial assistance to farmers.

The CM also visited the villages and interacted with the affected farmers in the fields in Mahabubabad and Karimnagar districts.