Welfare Schemes Changing Rural Landscape Of AP: CM YS Jagan

AMARAVATI, Nov 30: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has asserted that the rural landscape of the State is fast changing with the welfare schemes being rolled out for farmers and the State has shown sincerity by delivering welfare schemes on time like never before while the Opposition stooped to lower decorum of the House.

In the discussion on agriculture, the Chief Minister told the Legislative Assembly, our government has been paying input subsidy in the same year and is taking up crop insurance to safeguard the farmers, like never before. Our government has taken the responsibility of supporting the farmers at all hard times and thus brought a free crop insurance scheme, without levying any burden of premium on farmers. As the premium amount has been surpassing the insurance claims, due to disputes between farmers and insurance companies, the government has taken up the issue to benefit farmers and process the claims in fast-track mode.

The government had reviewed the crop loss and compensated by providing input subsidy in the same season by proving again that this is a farmer-friendly government.

The recent rains and floods, the Chief Minister said, had filled all reservoirs to the brim and groundwater levels swelled after a gap of ten years. 
With regard to the Nivar Cyclone, the State government had taken precautionary measures to reduce the damage and also took decisions to support the people in the hard times. All the people in relief camps were given Rs 500 while returning home irrespective of their age, and an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh was immediately given to the kin of the deceased. Seeds will be supplied with an 80 percent subsidy to the farmers in affected areas. The crop loss enumeration would be taken up on a war footing and would be completed by December 15 and compensation would be paid by December 31. The power supply was restored in the majority of the areas the works are on in the remaining. 

As far as the damaged crops are considered, the government has given orders to purchase decolored and germinated grains, to ensure that no farmer suffers loss. Compensating the Khariff loss due to natural calamities between June-September, the State government had paid Rs 135.7 crores benefiting 1.66 lakh farmers for the khariff season on October 27 and similarly paid Rs 132 in November towards crop damage due to rains in October. The Chief Minister said that the previous government had never paid the input subsidy on time. The loss in 2014 was given in 2015 with just Rs 690 Crore and further delayed the 2017 compensation by two years and totally skipped to provide input subsidy of Rs 2194 Crore for Kharif and Rabi 2018.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that over 50 lakh farmers were credited with Rythu Bharosa of Rs 13,500 each in three spells, which will be of Rs 67,500 in five years, while the previous government only cleared Rs 12,731 Crore in their full five-year term. We have given RoFR pattas to tribal farmers and equipped 10,641 Rythu Bharosa Kendras to assist farmers from seeds to marketing. Janata Bazars would be marketing local produce soon. Under YSR Jala Kala, 50,000 borewells per annum are being drilled free of cost for the needy farmers, with free motors at a cost of Rs 4,000 Crore. 

Amul pays more
Drawing a comparison in buying price per litre  between private dairies and Amul, he said Amul has agreed to pay Rs 7 more than Dodla dairy per litre and Rs 5 more than Heritage for 6% Fat  and 9% SNF  quality of milk in Kadapa and Prakasam districts for buffalo Milk. It is  Rs 6.97 more than Sangam and Heritage for 10%Fat and 9% SNF quality of milk and Rs 4.97 more than Jersey dairy in Prakasam district. 
For cow milk, Amul has agreed to pay Rs 4.88 more per litre  than Heritage, Rs 2.80 more than Sangam and 3.11 more than Jersey for 3.5% Fat and 8.5% SNF quality of milk in Chittoor district. 

This apart from 13 state level agri labs and 147 integrated Agri Labs would be set up for quality testing of seeds, fertilizers, and others.

The previous government has left dues of Rs 8,655 crores towards 14-month free power dues which we have cleared along with Rs 960 crores for paddy procurement, Rs 384 crores for subsidy on seeds, Rs 1,030 crores towards zero-interest loans from 2014 which were cleared by the State government. 

Chandrababu fears Corona and stayed away from the State and tried to create a scene in the House, he said.
Our government took the initiative to strengthen the feeders with Rs 1700 crore to provide an uninterrupted free power supply to farmers for nine hours during the daytime. The Chief Minister said that the government has been establishing food-processing units with Rs 3000 Crores and to change the rural landscape in the next year, godowns, cold storage units, and primary processing units are being set up at the village level with Rs 10,000 Crore.
Earlier, Minister for Agriculture Kurasala Kannababu lauded the efforts of the Chief Minister in strengthening the Agriculture and allied sectors in the State. The State government also brought crop insurance, zero-interest loans, providing free borewells and pump sets, and further established Advisory Committees to assist farmers in all ways. Besides these, the state government has been implementing free crop insurance. 

During the COVID crisis, the state government came forward to procure perishable goods, including flowers to rescue farmers from suffering loss. Through market intervention as on date, the government has purchased crops with Rs 4607 Crore. The State government had also procured tobacco to support tobacco farmers as well by spending Rs 120 crore, while the companies denied making a purchase.

The State Government signed MoU with Amul to encourage milk cooperative societies, especially those run by women, and further strengthen the dairy sector in the State. Nearly 5.6 lakh women, who were provided with financial assistance under YSR Cheyutha had come forward for setting up mini dairies in the villages and the government has been providing cattle and sheep. The State will be setting up Bulk Milk Cooling Units and Milk Collection Centres in Rythu Bharosa Kendras. 

The state stands first in the country in fish production and the government took steps to support the aqua farmers by providing Rs 10,000 during the crop holiday and further reduced the power tariff by charging only Rs 1.50 per unit. The government has initiated to bring four fishing harbours with an estimated cost of Rs 1510 crores at Juvvaladinne in Nellore district, Uppada in East Godavari, Nizampatnam in Guntur, and Machilipatnam in Krishna district along with 25 aqua hubs and 10 shrimp processing units.