Press Releases Archive

Farmers seek paddy procurement on war-footing

Leaders of independent farmers’ organizations today wanted the Andhra Pradesh Government to declare categorically that it would ensure purchase of every grain of paddy offered for sale at the minimum support price, and implement it in practice on a war-footing since monsoon rains are round the corner.

In a representation presented to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy at his Camp Office, the Federation of Independent Farmers’ Organizations pointed out that tardy purchases by Government agencies have emboldened millers to exploit farmers by denying them the MSP.

Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, President of the federation and the Lok Satta Party, led the delegation comprising Messrs P. Chengal Reddy, Y. Nagendranath, B. Dasaratharama Reddy, K. Prabhakar Reddy, M. Balarami Reddy, P. Bhaskara Rao and K. Gangadhara Rao.

It may be recalled that Dr. JP and other leaders of the federation had extensively traveled in most of the paddy growing districts and studied the situation at the grassroots level before calling on the Chief Minister.

The delegation pointed out to the Chief Minister that millers and Government agencies have so far bought only about 35-40 lakh tons of the estimated 130 lakh tons of rabi paddy output. In addition, farmers and traders have stocks of the last kharif.

The farmers’ leaders suggested that the Government requisition space in schools, colleges and other private buildings to store the record paddy stocks. The IAS officials deputed to districts to supervise paddy purchases and district collectors should be empowered under Treasury Rule 27 to take all measures for rice procurement and storage. Millers should be made to make payments for paddy purchases by account payee cheques to curb underpayment.

To ensure that the farmer gets the minimum support for price for paddy on a permanent basis, the Andhra Pradesh Government should emulate its Chattisgarh counterpart and undertake direct procurement from farmers instead of leaving them to millers’ mercy. It might call for a revolving fund of Rs.3000 crore.

Talking to media after meeting the Chief Minister, Dr. JP said that the proposed institution of the right to food should not be trotted out as an excuse to bar food grain exports and deny a fair price to farmers. The Government could procure all the grain needed for ensuring food security by paying a fair price to the farmer and permit export of surplus to other countries.

Dr. JP pointed out that that the country needs only 13 crore tons of the estimated 20.2 crore food grain production this year, assuming a per capita consumption of 9 kg a month. The proposed right to food security will entail procurement of 7 crore tons only. The Food Corporation of India already has 7 crore tons of food grains in its warehouses and it will be procuring an additional two crore tons of rabi production.

Dr. JP said that the country would be left with a record surplus of 5 crore to 7 crore tons of food grains. If it is not permitted to be exported, food grains will be vulnerable to rodents and rains. State agencies could undertake exports and share the profits with farmers, he added.

Thursday, May 26, 2011 - 18:23

Dr. JP wants PM to make Mid-course correction

Monumental corruption, endless dithering, and policy failures mark the two years of rule by UPA II, said Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said today and hoped that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh would summon courage and wisdom to undertake a midcourse correction.

In a media statement, Dr. JP warned that the country would face a disaster if the UPA continued its lame-duck governance for another three years.

Dr. JP said that the volume of corruption witnessed at the highest level during the last two years of UPA II rule seems to be the largest in post- Second World War history. Dithering characterized UPA’s policies in the education and health care sectors. Although it adopted the Right to Education Act and promised higher investments in health care, it has totally failed in delivering on its promises. Policy failures have marked the agriculture sector. Despite excellent monsoons and record harvests, the Government has not liberalized the farm sector, rid the public distribution system of leakages or help farmers improve their incomes.

Dr. JP recalled that UPA II came into office with a stronger mandate and roused great expectations among people. It has merely succeeded in dashing their hopes.

Saturday, May 21, 2011 - 19:13

Stop indulging in calumny, Lok Satta tells Harish Rao

The Lok Satta Party today took strong exception to TRS MLA T. Harish Rao making baseless and false allegations against its party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, and counseled him against indulging in politics of hatred and division and inciting violence and anarchy.

According to media reports, Mr. Harisha Rao faulted Dr. JP for being ‘silent on the State Government ‘diverting Central funds under a drinking water scheme entirely to Coastal Andhra’ and for touring Telangana districts in the cause of farmers.

Addressing a media conference, Lok Sattta Party Working President D. V. V. S. Varma, and Secretaries V. Vijayender Reddy and P. Bhaskara Rao said that the Lok Satta Party is not in power and not privy to what goes on in the Government on a day-to-day basis to react to each and every development.

Inquiries with the concerned Minister K. Jana Reddy, however, reveal that in response to a five-year-old representation, the Union Government recently allocated funds for taking up drinking water schemes in villages affected by the salinity problem. It so happens that the salinity problem is prevalent only in Coastal Andhra. Similarly, villages in Nalgonda, Prakasam and Kurnool and their neighboring districts suffer from excess fluoride in drinking water and villages in hilly areas suffer from iodine deficiency.

The Lok Satta Party leaders recalled that although the party has only a single legislator in the Assembly, it has always been in the forefront in highlighting people’s problems and getting them resolved, irrespective of the region to which they belong.

They said that it was Dr. JP who took the lead to get the Assembly adopt a resolution unanimously for the deletion of Section 14 of the Presidential Order on recruitment of police personnel. It was Dr. JP who opposed the posting of non-locals in Hyderabad district. It was again Dr. JP who mobilized legislators in the GHMC and surrounding areas and persuaded the Chief Minister to take up the third phase of the Krishna water scheme for Hyderabad. Dr. JP had advocated that the Yellamaplli reservoir water should be utilized for irrigation and drinking water purposes in Telangana districts and not diverted to Hyderabad. The credit for getting the market yard at Siddipet in Mr. Harisha Rao’s constituency goes to Dr. JP. Earlier, cotton growers had to cart their produce to Peddapalli as the new market yard remained unopened for five years. When floods in the Krishna ravaged Mahbubnagar district, the Lok Satta adopted Kesavaram village and built a school.

The Lok Satta leaders reminded Mr. Harish Rao that under the Indian Constitution all the citizens enjoyed freedom of travel and expression. Mobilizing people is not the monopoly of anybody or the region a jagir of anybody.

The Lok Sattta leaders said that the party had been fighting for fair prices for agricultural produce for the last nine months. The Lok Satta persuaded the Union Government to permit cotton exports and as a result cotton farmers in the State received a very good price this year.

The Lok Satta Party would fight for people’s causes to the best of its ability and render them justice, they added.

Friday, May 20, 2011 - 18:21

Pages