Andhra Pradesh Minister for Civil Supplies, Nadendla Manohar, on Monday said that the government would pay the money to the farmers in just 48 hours after procurement of their produce. The Minister participated in a meeting at Eluru on the day to hand over the cheques to them for the paddy purchased from them in the last season.
The ministers said that the previous government had left the arrears of Rs 1,674 crore to be paid to the farmers. This government had paid Rs 1000 crore in the last month and is paying the balance of Rs 674 crore now, the ministers said. The Minister further said that this government would pay every paise to the farmers within 48 hours of purchase. The government would purchase the last bag of paddy, the ministers said.
Manohar further said that the previous government had destroyed the finances of the state. The government went for borrowing up to Rs 12 lakh crore, the minister said. He further said that every rupee was diverted and there was utter mismanagement of finances in the state in the last five years. He said that the present government was setting the house in order.
The previous YSR Congress government did not even give gunny bags to the farmers. The procurement from the farmers was also disorderly maintained, he said. The agriculture sector was completely ignored and neglected in the last five years, the Minister said. He further said that the Rythu Bharosa Kendras did not function well to support the farmers.
The crop insurance too was not paid on time, the minister said. He said that the government did not pay the premium to the insurance companies for the crop insurance scheme. The tall claims of former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy about the farmers welfare were not shown in practice, the minister said. He said that the farmers’ welfare was not considered even for one crop in the last five years.
However, the present government was committed to the welfare of the farmers. Serving the farmers was the top priority of the farmers, the minister said. He further said that the government is ready to go to any extent to serve the farming community.
