KCR Govt to ensure measures to support farmers in Telangana

In a bid to strengthen the condition of farmers, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao-led state government has decided to provide investment support to rescue the farmers from debt trap.

Rao has called on the Rythu Samanvaya Samithis (Famers Coordination Committees) to play a key role in the investment support scheme.

The Chief Minister has also asked the committee to also ensure the implementation of farmers' Life Insurance Scheme.

The Chief Minister made it clear that the government has decided to provide investment support to benefit the farmer and not to gain votes.

He said that the government fulfilled every promise made in the TRS election manifesto to the farmers and had gone beyond the manifesto and implemented many schemes which were not included in it.

"There was a time when Telangana farmer lived with great respect and honour. The farming was fairly good. Farmers were in a position to offer donations in tune with their status. The policies adopted by Congress government pushed agriculture into a bad shape. We thought that the situation should improve after formation of Telangana," Rao said.

The Chief Minister has also directed concerned coordinators to ensure the following-

• Farmers must be educated to go for cropping pattern and instead of all going for similar crop, they should prefer crop in accordance with demand. It should be based on soil category and market demand. Agriculture will be profitable only when good price is secured to each and every produce. This has to be explained by them to the farmer.

• Cropping should be in accordance with the demand and needs of people 0f Telangana.

• The agricultural lands around and near towns and cities must be preferred to grow vegetables to meet the needs of surrounding areas. The people living in towns and cities should prefer to use these vegetables. This will benefit both the farmer and user.

• Government is making plans to establish food processing unit all over the state.

• Depending on the climatic conditions, soil category, wind speed, rainfall and temperatures, the entire land in state will be divided into various crop colonies by agriculture scientists. In accordance with this division the farmers should go for cropping pattern and accordingly they should to be educated.

• Agriculture produce should be brought to the market following a regulatory system. The schedule for the same should be decided in advance.

• Farmers should to be taught skills to increase the productivity. To educate farmer on this the coordinators should visit Israel to study the techniques there.

• With the formation of Rythu Samanvaya Samithy the farmers have been brought into an organised sector and they are being strengthened.

• 2500 farmers dias are being established all over the state to discuss farmers' issues regularly.

• Every farmer between the age of 18 - 60 will be insured for his life at a premium of Rs. 2271 per head to be borne by government. The death could be due to any reason. The insured farmer will have to propose the nominee. From August 15th the insurance bonds will be distributed.

(ANI)