Repeal of AP Crop Cultivators Rights Act, 2019, sought

Ongole: The Prakasam district unit of the Andhra Pradesh Kaulu Raitula Sangham met the minister for social welfare, disabled and old aged welfare, VSWS and Volunteer System Dr Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy and demanded repeal the Andhra Pradesh Crop Cultivators Rights Act, 2019 brought by the earlier government, and implement the Andhra Pradesh Land Licensed Cultivators Act, 2011 instead.

The Kaulu Raitula Sangham district unit president Sk Mabu, secretary V Balakotaiah, members Sk Meerasa, Rambabu, V Moses, and others met the minister in Ongole on Thursday and explained to him that about 80 per cent of the agriculture in the state is done by the tenant and small farmers. After agitation for many years, the state government brought the AP Land Licensed Cultivators Act, 2011. As per this act, the government conducts gram sabha, identifies the cultivator, and issues identity cards, irrespective of the need for the permission of the owner.

About 40 lakh farmers are deprived of their livelihood as the government forcefully introduced the AP CCRA. They submitted a representation to the minister demanding the government to identify the tenant farmers by conducting the gram sabha without considering the caste or creed, issue the Cultivator ID Cards authorised by the VRO irrespective of the approval from the owners, register the crop insurance in the name of the cultivator, provide the compensation, Rythu Bharosa, crop loans etc., to the cultivator.