Centre's Fertilizer Subsidy More Than KCR's Rythu Bandhu: BJP

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy today said that the union government's assistance to the farmers in the form of fertilizer subsidy was more than the assistance given by the Telangana government in the name of the Rythu Bandhu incentive.

He said that the Centre was providing Rs 18,254 per acre as fertilizer subsidy to the farmers in the country, compared to Rs 10,000 per acre by the State government.

He elaborated that the Centre was providing a subsidy of Rs 8,568 on four bags of urea and Rs 9,680 on four bags of DAP, and that in all Rs 18,254 in subsidies was being provided by the Centre on fertilisers alone.

"On a bag of urea, a farmer has to pay just Rs 266. The subsidy given by the Centre is Rs 2,142," he said.

"Also, KCR's reluctance to implement the Centre's crop insurance scheme is baffling. Farmers have suffered severely due to unseasonal rains. They are not getting any support from the State government. This has caused serious difficulties for the farmers. In the event of similar natural calamities in AP and other States, they are being helped through the Rythu Bhima Yojana. But in Telangana, farmers are suffering due to the non-implementation of the crop insurance scheme," Reddy said.

"The crop insurance scheme is being implemented effectively in all States across the country. Some farmers in Telangana are surviving by taking an insurance scheme on their own. The Telangana government should implement a crop insurance scheme," he added.

He also mocked that the CM had set up a BRS branch in Maharashtra. He said that the BJP had no problem with the expansion of the BRS, but asked the CM what would happen to Telangana if he focused his attention on Maharashtra. He alleged that the CM was considering himself as the leader of the entire country while ignoring his own State.

"Also, KCR did not keep his word on any issue like farmer loan waivers, allowances for unemployed people, jobs, free double bedroom houses, infrastructure, development of gram panchayats or development of municipalities. Now he is going to Maharashtra and criticising Modi," Reddy said mockingly.