VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed officials to take immediate measures to help the farmers, who are in distress following unseasonal rains. Taking stock of the untimely rains resulting in crop loss with senior officials on Thursday, the Chief Minister instructed them to ensure that no farmer makes a complaint about not receiving compensation for the crop loss he suffered in Rabi.
Steps should be taken by the officials to purchase the discoloured paddy from the farmers in a full-fledged manner, besides speeding up the process of paddy procurement, he asserted.
Jagan further directed the officials to closely monitor the crop damage and other losses due to unseasonal rains from village/ward secretariats. He asked them to display the list of farmers who suffered crop damage for social audit, as it will help if any farmer was left out.
The officials were also instructed to provide a toll-free number to farmers to lodge a complaint in case of difficulty or inaction on the part of Rythu Bharosa Kendra staff. They were asked to attend to every complaint and take necessary action to resolve the grievance. “Every step should help in bringing back smiles on the faces of farmers,” he stressed.
At the same time, the Chief Minister wanted the officials to be alert to the changes in weather and take necessary precautionary measures in the areas where rain has been forecast. He was briefed about various measures taken to help the farmers in distress.
They informed him that Rabi paddy procurement is continuing and to date, 4.75 lakh metric tonnes of paddy has been procured. Advice is being given to farmers on the procedure to be followed in areas of unharvested paddy crops. Besides, farmers are also being made aware of procedures like sprinkling of salt solution in wet areas, where crops are harvested.
They informed that an agronomist is available for each district and steps are being taken to educate the farmers through the local authorities. Further, paddy from procurement centres, RBKs and harvested crops in fields is being shifted to warehouses and government buildings, they explained.