BJP state president Somu Veerraju said the government had failed to eliminate middlemen in the agricultural sector and to source rice from farmers in a timely manner at affordable prices. The government cannot follow up on what they say when it comes to subsidizing farmers under the mechanization programs and implementing the micro-irrigation project, he added.
Speaking to the media here on Thursday, Mr Veerraju said the government had set out to buy 45 lakh tons of rice this year but could only get 21 lakh for 3,990 billion yen. Even the payments for the grain bought were delayed. Farmers resorted to distress sales for a number of compelling reasons, he said.
The farmers in Rayalaseema, largely dependent on micro-irrigation, have been abandoned as the government has not even been able to provide an acre of water for the past two years. Invoices from companies supplying the micro-irrigation equipment have been pending for more than two years, he said.
“Inappropriate creditworthiness”
Mr. Veerraju objected to the fact that the state government presented the housing project included as part of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) as a separate project. He insisted that it was a central plan that the state gave undue credit to.
The central government granted a grant of ₹ 1.80 lakh per unit under PMAY. “Unfortunately, the state government named the project YSR Jagananna Colonies without the Prime Minister’s pictures on the promotional material. If the Prime Minister’s photos are not shown, the BJP will, ”he warned.
A significant portion of the funding required to build medical schools was provided by the central government, but was also claimed by the state. Sixty percent of the construction costs of three medical colleges were borne by the center, while the AP BJP sought to raise maximum funding for seven other colleges, added Mr Veerraju.