Andhra credits input subsidy of Rs 542 cr to farmers' accounts
Amaravati, Feb 15: Andhra Pradesh farmers who suffered heavy losses in November last year due to massive rainfall and flooding, have recieved some much needed succour in the form of input subsidy. Chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday credited input subsidy of Rs 542 crore directly to farmers' bank accounts. He also credited Rs 29.51 crore to 1,220 farmer groups under the YSR Farm Mechanisation Scheme.
A total of Rs 571.57 crore was deposited in the farmers' bank accounts with a click of the computer mouse by the Chief Minister. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the state government has paid out Rs 1,612 crore in the last two and half years compensating 19.93 lakh farmers for the crop losses due to heavy rains and floods.
Slamming the previous government for allegedly neglecting the farmers and making untimely payments, the Chief Minister claimed that his government is paying the input subsidy for the losses occurring within the same season. "Besides paying compensation, under relief measures 1.21 lakh quintals of seeds were given at 80 per cent subsidy to those farmers who suffered losses during Rabi season," Reddy explained.
Pointing out that the input subsidy for 2018 kharif season of Rs 1,832 crore and that of rabi season of Rs 356 crore was unpaid and tenant farmers were also left out from government schemes by the previous government, the Chief Minister stated that the current government is standing by the farmers in all possible ways including the tenant farmers, from seed to sale and asserted that the crop loss is being estimated in a scientific way through e-cropping at the RBK level, leaving no one out.
"Rs 123 crore input subsidy was paid in April 2020 against the crop loss which occurred up to March 2020. Similarly, Rs 278 crore was paid in October against crop loss that occurred between April-October 2020. The compensation for Nivar cyclone of Rs 646 crore was credited into the accounts of 8.35 lakh farmers within a month and for Gulab cyclone a compensation of Rs 22 crore was paid in less than two months," the chief minister said.