Talliki Vandanam scheme to be implemented after summer vacations: Atchannaidu

Visakhapatnam:Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu has announced that the Talliki Vandanam scheme would be implemented after the summer school vacations.

The minister, who also handles the fisheries department, said a guaranteed income of `20,000 will be provided to fishermen during the hunting ban in April.

The launch of the PM Kisan and Annadata Sukhibhava schemes will take place after the expiry of the MLC election code controls, he said.

He said Chandrababu Naidu had contacted the central government on five occasions to take up the issues of chilli farmers. “An evaluation of the support price for chilli is under way and the central government's assistance for crops will be increased from 25 per cent to 75 per cent.”

Atchannaidu noted that the TD’s influence at the national level has increased due to the victory of 22 of its MP nominees. He said the state’s financial scenario has improved in recent months. “All outstanding payments to contractors are being settled, and development initiatives are actively being pursued.

He mentioned an allocation of `1,300 crore to improve infrastructure, including road repairs.

The minister underscored ongoing efforts to finalise irrigation projects, particularly the completion of the Polavaram project, and noted that agriculture constitutes 24 per cent of the state's revenue.

He lamented that farmers have not received fair compensation for their crops in the last five years, and added that the YSRC government owed farmers as high as `1,600 crore when it ended the five-year-term.

Atchannaidu alleged that YSRC chief Jagan Reddy was disseminating false information on chilli prices. “Jagan had announced a support price of only `7,500 for chilli in Guntur in 2020.”