VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that the State government is committed to the welfare of farmers, Agriculture Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy on Wednesday refuted the allegations of Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan that the YSRC regime failed to provide compensation to tenant farmers who committed suicide.
Pawan Kalyan has been giving a financial aid of Rs 1 lakh to the families of the deceased farmers, who allegedly did not get compensation from the government.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the minister lambasted the opposition TDP and Jana Sena stating that they were deliberately taking up malicious propaganda to mislead the public and challenged them to prove their allegations.
Referring to Pawan Kalyan, Kakani said he could not show a single family of tenant farmer that was left out by the government without paying compensation upon losing the breadwinner. He said the government is paying Rs 7 lakh compensation to the families of tenant farmers.
During the previous TDP government, farmers suicides were not recognised and the families were left in the lurch without any compensation. "Pawan Kalyan did not volunteer to visit the families of deceased farmers during previous TDP regime, though no compensation was paid to the kin," he said.
He mentioned that the YSRC government had paid compensation to 471 farmers' families, who were left out during the TDP rule, and even the families of tenant farmers are also being compensated with Rs 1 lakh as insurance.
"Naidu lacks credibility, while Pawan has no character," he remarked and clarified that there is no such thing as a crop holiday in the State. "Unlike Naidu, the YSRC government is fulfilling all the farm needs and helping farmers get good income," he asserted.