Agriculture topmost priority of government: Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan
ANANTAPUR: Reiterating the government’s commitment to developing agriculture and allied sectors to ensure farmers’ welfare, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said agriculture will always remain the topmost priority of his government. “We never compromised on farmers’ welfare even when the government was facing financial problems due to the Covid pandemic,” he pointed out.
Addressing a public gathering at Rayadurgam in Anantapur district on Thursday on the occasion of the Farmers’ Day, celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Jagan said he is walking in the footsteps of his father, who believed that state will progress only when farmers and farmhands are happy. “With his inspiration, for the last two years, our government has progressed, giving top priority to agriculture and allied sectors,” he said and added the government has spent Rs 83,000 crore for farmers’ welfare and agriculture development.
Expressing happiness over inaugurating and laying foundation stones for works taken up at the cost of Rs 1,570 crore on the occasion of Farmer’s Day, Jagan said his government is committed to bringing about a change in the rural sector through the welfare of farmers. Recalling revolutionary reforms in the rural development and farmers’ welfare by YSR, he said during his 3,648 km long padayatra, he witnessed the farmer’s problems at the close quarters and made every effort to address those issues in the last two years.
“Farmers face problems at sowing time when they take up cultivation for want of input expenditure, post-harvest they face problems in marketing their produce, they are hindered by agriculture being their only source of income and suffer losses due to natural calamities. These issues need to be addressed and we took measures in that direction. Through YSR Rythu Bharosa - PM Kisan scheme, Rs 13,500 being provided to each farmer, Rs 7,500 in June, Rs 4,000 in October and Rs 2,000 in January. As 70 per cent of the farmers are having land below one hectare, the amount is sufficient to take care of 80 per cent of the crop investment,” he said.
Another important measure taken by the government to address farmers’ needs was to set up 10,778 Rythu Bharosa Kendra (RBKs), through them quality seeds, fertilisers, pesticides are being provided and when the crop is harvested, RBKs facilitate farmers to market their produce. “Earlier, for the seed, farmers used to stand in queues in mandal headquarters for hours if not days. Today, with just a click of a button they get farm inputs supplied to their doorstep,” he said.
Describing agriculture advisory boards set up from RBK level to State-level as a game-changer, he said the boards help farmers in crop planning and management. The Chief Minister said to augment farmers’ income through YSR Cheyutha, Aasara programmes, they encouraged animal husbandry and signed MoU with AMUL. He predicted Amul will bring a white revolution to the state in the next two years. Hitting back at his critics, Jagan said to see development in the state, all they need is to go to villages.
Revamping of dilapidated schools, the introduction of English Medium and CBSE syllabus, village secretariats, village volunteers, village clinics, Anganwadi centres upgraded as pre-primary schools and RBKs brought about a sea change in rural development. “If it is not development, what is?” the Chief Minister asked.