Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy criticized the Centre for not doing anything to support farmers in the State. He responded to questions raised by MLCs T Jeevan Reddy and Seri Subhash Reddy in the State Legislative Council regarding the crop insurance scheme and increased agricultural area in the State.
Reddy alleged that the Central government did not purchase food grains from the State as part of their vendetta politics. He also mentioned that even after a day-long fast by the entire State cabinet, including Chief Minister KCR, the Central government did not change its stance. He pointed out that the Central government claimed to have enough stocks for three years but stopped rice exports within six months.
Furthermore, Reddy criticized the Central government for not having a proper agricultural policy, despite it being a crucial sector for the majority of the country. He stated that the Centre showed no concern for crop cultivation and the needs of the people. In times of natural calamities, the Centre did not provide any financial assistance to farmers who lost their crops. Reddy shared that despite heavy rains and losses in Hyderabad, the Centre did not provide any funds, while the State government disbursed Rs 151 crore to affected farmers and planned to help others as well.
Regarding the PM FasalBhima Yojana crop insurance scheme, Reddy highlighted that Gujarat, Bihar, and West Bengal, the home states of the Prime Minister, were not implementing it. He mentioned that Telangana had implemented the Fasal Bhima Yojana for four years. Reddy pointed out that farmers received only Rs 1893 crore in compensation, whereas they paid Rs 2415 crore in premiums, resulting in insurance companies benefiting by Rs 522 crore. He urged the Centre to take initiative in implementing an insurance scheme for the agricultural sector and called for a national debate on this matter.
