Harish accuses Congress of indifference over farmers’ plight

“The suicides of farmers in Adilabad district are disturbing. I appeal to the farmers not to resort to this measure. The BRS will stand by you. Let us fight until the promises made are implemented,” Harish Rao said.

The BRS leader said the farmers had lost confidence that the government would stand by them, and the suicides were a manifestation of that. “BRS chief K. Chandrashekar Rao had made agriculture profitable and Revanth Reddy has reversed that,” he said.

“The government is seeking to avoid providing input assistance by showcasing the loan waiver and Rs 500 bonus. The farmers are thus facing this dire situation,” Harish Rao said and demanded that the government should provide Rs 10 lakh ex gratia to the family members of each of the farmers who died by suicide.

Harish Rao flayed the government for stoppage of Aarogyasri services by network hospitals due to pending payments. He called on the government to solve the problems of network hospitals and start the services forthwith.

Harish Rao also sought an increase in the income criteria for ration cards, in tune with rising inflation. “Lakhs of households will be denied ration cards if the income limit is not raised,” Harish Rao said.

He said that the Chandrashekar Rao government had raised the income limit from Rs 60,000 in rural areas and Rs 75,000 in urban areas to Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh respectively. The land limit was also raised from two acres of irrigated land and five acres of dry land to 3.5 acres and seven acres respectively, he noted. “These should be further raised now.”

Harish Rao demanded that the Indiramma Atmiya Bharosa should be extended to the poor in the urban areas. The rider that an applicant to the scheme should have done NREGA work for at least 20 days for becoming eligible for the scheme should be removed, he said.