Farm Loans Worth Rs 626 Crore Waived in West Godavari, Says Minister

ELURU: The government has decided to accord permission for  renewal of  fish tanks with a view to encouraging aquaculture in the state. Aqua farming is is taken up in about 50,000 hectares in West Godavari district, agriculture minister P Pulla Rao has said.

Addressing the ‘Rythu Kosam Chandranna’ programme held at Agriculture Market Yard in Tadepalligudem town on Tuesday, the minister said that the government was sanctioning crop loans to tenant farmers as well. It extended loan waiver to the tune of Rs 24,000 crore to Rs 35.15 lakh farmers so far, despite facing deficit budget of Rs 16,000 crore.

In the first phase, about Rs 7,433 crore has been credited in the bank accounts. In West Godavari alone, farm loan worth Rs 626 crore of 4.42 lakh farmers has been waived off, he explained.

Pointing out that Andhra Pradesh has been rated the second best destination in the country on ‘Ease of Doing Business’, he stated that the fact hints at the administrative skills of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The government is giving priority to horticulture and is supplying sprinklers, drip irrigation material on subsidy to farmers, he informed.

Taking a dig at Opposition leader and YSR Congress chief  Y S Jaganmohan Reddy for his comments on river linkage programme, which is aimst to supply drinking water to Rayalaseema, the minister alleged that Jagan do not want development of Rayalaseema, which has been neglected for several decades now.

Information and public relations minister P Raghunatha Reddy said that new ration cards will be issued to the eligible people from October and efforts are on to achieve 100 per cent literacy in AP.

Panchayat raj minister Ch Ayyannapatrudu said that the ‘Chettu-Neeru’ programme was being implemented in the state under which the water storage capacity of canals and tanks would be raised in the next four years.