KTR assures all help to rain-hit farmers

Warangal: BRS working president and minister  K.T. Rama Rao on Tuesday assured farmers whose crops were damaged due to the unseasonal rains that the state government would provide support and assistance to those who had lost their crop.  

The minister reviewed the agricultural fields damaged by rains in Mustabad and Yellareddypet mandals and visited paddy purchase centres in the two mandals in Rajanna Sircilla district on Tuesday and exhorted farmers to be strong and have faith in Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He told them that the government would purchase every foodgrain the farmers produced.

Rama Rao told the reporters at a press conference held at the collectorate that the unexpected torrential rains had dashed the hopes of farmers who had expected a good crop output and better returns. He asserted that the BRS is a pro-farmer party, and that the CM's priority was to alleviate farmers' hardships by anticipating their concerns.

"BRS stands for Bharat Rythu Samithi. CM KCR initiated various irrigation projects, which boosted the availability of water for irrigation purposes in Telangana. To date, the state government has purchased 7.5 tonnes of food grains from farmers and will procure every food grain produced by farmers,” Rama Rao asserted.

The government has begun the process of estimating agricultural losses in accordance with the directives of the Chief Minister, he said. In Rajanna Sircilla district, crop damage occurred in 19,000 acres, causing a loss to at least 17,000 farmers. Unlike any other state, the Telangana government had promised to compensate farmers who had suffered losses with ₹25,000 per hectare and ₹10,000 per acre, he claimed.

Speaking on the Karnataka elections, Rama Rao alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had claimed he would discourage the unhealthy electoral culture of enticing votes was now enforcing it in that state. “How can he announce three free gas cylinders? Is Modi the Prime Minister for Karnataka or for India? Why is he not giving three gas cylinders free to the people of Telangana? The Centre levies GST on milk and curd; why isn't the same levied on Adani's airport,” he asked.