Friday, December 14, 2007

Crop insurance scheme to be extended to all 22 districts

Hyderabad, December 14: The State Government has commenced the exercise to extend crop insurance scheme with village as unit to all the 22 districts from the next financial year.
The scheme is currently being implemented in 10 districts on a pilot basis, but could not be extended to other districts immediately because of the absence of budgetary provisions.

The agriculture and allied departments are also stepping up pressure on the Finance Department for increasing the total budgetary allocations to over Rs. 30,000 crore during the next fiscal, against Rs. 22,647 crore this year. Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy said the Government had, in principle, decided to extend the Pavala Vaddi (3 per cent interest per annum) scheme to farmers. Bankers and officials concerned had been asked to work out the modalities to launch the scheme from the next kharif.

Mr. Raghuveera Reddy criticised the TDP and BJP for exhorting farmers to take to the streets and advised them not to “play with the lives of ryots ” after the Congress came to power. The two parties should come out with “at least a single scheme” launched by them when they were in power, he said, asking them to take on the Government politically instead of trying to disturb farmers.

Clarification sought

The TDP in particular, should clarify about the action plan it released recently for farmers, he said. . “The TDP should clarify whether it lacked commitment to provide free power or was backing out from the earlier promise ,” he asked.