Compensation to farmers after crop loss enumeration: Palla
Rythu Bandhu Samithi chairman and MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy.
HYDERABAD: The enumeration of crop loss due to heavy rains was underway in the districts and once the district collectors submit final reports, the state government will take a decision on extending compensation to the farmers, asserted Rythu Bandhu Samithi chairman and MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy.
Speaking to the media at the BRS Legislature Party (BRSLP) office on Monday, he claimed that the enumeration of crop loss so far revealed that 80,000 farmers suffered losses to an extent of 1.50 lakh acres. “The state government has divided agricultural lands in Telangana into 2,603 clusters. We have ordered cluster-wise enumeration of crop loss due to heavy rains in the last three days.
Collectors are on the job. We expect to obtain final reports from all the districts in two or three days. Once the government receives them, the Chief Minister will take a decision on extending compensation to the farmers,” he stated while demanding the Centre to send its teams to Telangana to assess the crop loss.
“In the previous years, the state suffered crop loss of up to Rs 7,000 crore. But what the Centre gave was just Rs 250 crore. The BJP government at the Centre is discriminating against Telangana on all issues and it is discriminating against us even in extending funds for crop loss assistance,” he added.
Palla justified the state government’s decision to scrap the PMFBY stating that the scheme turned out to be more beneficial for insurance companies than farmers. “What insurance companies received through premium amounts was much more than what farmers got towards settlements and claims. For that reason, the state government has decided to opt out of PMFBY.
Several BJP-ruled states also opted out of PMFBY. Will the BJP leaders in Telangana answer why the BJP-ruled states opted out of PMFBY,” he asked.