Farmer welfare our priority: CM Jagan Mohan Reddy
VIJAYAWADA : Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday disbursed Rs 1,294.34 crore under the YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan and YSR Sunna Vaddi Panta Runalu schemes.
Of the total sum released, Rs 1,078.36 crore was extended to 53.58 lakh farmers under Rythu Bharosa and Rs 215.98 crore to 10,78,615 ryots towards interest subvention for timely repayment of interest on crop loans taken for Rabi-2021 and Kharif-2022 seasons.
Under the Rythu Bharosa scheme, the State government provides Rs 13,500 to each of the eligible farmers in three instalments every year.
Addressing the farmers virtually from his camp office in Tadepalli, he noted that the State can prosper only if farmers are happy. Further, he asserted that his government has left no stone unturned in the past 57 months to ensure the farmers’ welfare.
He pointed out that his government has extended Rs 67,500 to each farmer under Rythu Bharosa in the last years, which is Rs 17,500 more than what was promised in the YSRC’s election manifesto.
“So far, my government has disbursed Rs 34,288 crore under the YSR Rythu Bharosa - PM Kisan scheme for the welfare of the farmers in the State. Additionally, 84.66 lakh farmers have received Rs 2,050 crore as interest subsidy under YSR Sunna Vaddi,” he said.
Lashing out at the previous government, Jagan charged the TDP with ditching the farming community by defaulting on the promise to waive Rs 87,612 crore loan. “In contrast, our government has been implementing various welfare schemes and supporting farmers at every step of the way,” he added.
Stating that N Chandrababu Naidu announced the farm loan waiver in a bid to become chief minister, Jagan accused the TDP supremo of duping the farmers by giving them farm loan documents without actually waiving the loan amount. Subsequently, Naidu scrapped the zero-interest subsidy scheme which severely affected the farming community, he noted.
The Chief Minister claimed that farmers were paying Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 crore annually in interest and compound interest under Naidu’s tenure.
“On the contrary, our government has disbursed Rs 34,288 crore through the Rythu Bharosa programme in the last five years. Additionally, Rs 65,258 crore was allocated for the procurement of farm produce, and a whopping Rs 1.2 lakh crore has been extended to farmers through various schemes in the last 57 months.”
Stating that AP is the only State providing free crop insurance to farmers in the country, the Chief Minister said the government is providing free power for the agriculture sector for nine hours, benefitting farmers to the tune of Rs 45,000 annually.