Help calamity-hit farmers in AP: Reddy to PM

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Monday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to consider enhancing the scale of relief to farmers hit by natural calamities in accordance with the recommendations of the Working Group on Agriculture Production.

The Working Group is headed by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Calamities that struck the state in last two months had caused an damage to public infrastructure to the tune of Rs 1,207.72 crore, the chief minister informed the Prime Minister in a letter.

"The calamities affected 5,327 villages in 15 districts and resulted in devastation of agriculture and horticulture crops in 11.53 lakh hectares besides affecting the animal husbandry sector. This has also affected the livelihood of over 20 lakh small and marginal farmers."

"As per the existing Calamity Relief Fund norms, the input subsidy comes to Rs 389.04 crore. However, considering the magnitude of the calamity, the state and announced relief at an enhanced norm of Rs 6,000 per hectare for paddy."

"At this rate, the commitment of input subsidy comes to Rs 593.12 crore. The total input subsidy comes to Rs 649.18 crore if we include the estimated requirement of input subsidy for the damage to groundnut crop to the tune of Rs 56.04 crore," Kiran said.

While thanking the Prime Minister for extending Rs 400 crore as advance, the CM requested that the sum might be treated as a grant "over and above the CRF".

"There is a wide spread demand for increasing the input subsidy of major crops like paddy, cotton, groundnut and sugarcane considering increase in cost of cultivation," Kiran said.

"I request you to consider enhancing scale of relief to the farmers affected by natural calamities in accordance with the recommendations of the Working Group on Agriculture Production headed by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda."

The state government would also send a detailed memorandum to the Centre on the damage caused due to depression in Bay of Bengal from December 5 to 12, Kiran said.

Meanwhile, Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi on Monday lashed out at Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for claiming that opposition parties and media were "exaggerating" the deaths of distressed farmers in the state.

Also, Chiranjeevi found fault with the Chief Minister's claim that the calamity-hit farmers were happy with the relief package announced by the Congress government.

"He (Kiran) may be happy with the package but not the farmers who suffered heavy losses," the PRP chief said at a press conference in Hyderabad on the eve of his three-day tour of Guntur and Prakasam districts.

The filmstar-turned-politician is undertaking the tour to console families of farmers who either committed suicide or died of shock because of the destruction of crops in the heavy rains early this month.

The PRP leader pointed out that about 57 farmers died between December 9 and 16 before the announcement of relief package. "Since December 16, when the package was announced by the Chief Minister, more than 130 farmers ended their lives," he said and wondered if the ryots would resort to extreme steps like suicide if they were content with the relief offered by the government.

Everyone has been demanding that the government extend a relief of at least Rs 10,000 per hectare to the distressed farmers, but the government has remained adamant. The government should follow in the steps of neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra in lending a helping hand to the calamity-hit farmers," Chiranjeevi said.