The Lok Satta Party calls on the state government to create a relief fund for farmers without waiting for assistance from the Centre.
The Lok Satta Party, on Thursday, demanded that the state government create an Agricultural Calamity Relief Fund for farmers in need of relief.
They said that the farmers should not be made to wait for assistance from the Centre, as it was time consuming.
Lok Satta Party President D V V S Varma, in a press statement, pointed out that farmers have been losing crops every year to natural disasters.
Varma said that the long coastline, power shortages and depleting groundwater, among other factors, have been worsening the farmers' losses.
Against such a bleak backdrop, he said, it does not seem prudent to wait for assistance from the Centre before extending relief to the farmers.
Varma pointed out that the ever since the state government sent a report on the drought to the Centre, a week ago, almost 2 months worth of crop has withered away.
It is also unclear as to how much of the requested Rs. 3,775 relief money the Centre will sanction for the relief efforts, he said.
Meanwhile, Varma recalled that the un-seasonal rains have ravaged crops in Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Kurnool, Anantapur and Khammam districts, some of them a second time in the same month.
Quoting unofficial reports, Varma said that heavy rains during 10-11 January in the Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore districts have damaged crops like paddy, maize, black gram, bengal gram, groundnut, chilly, cotton and tobacco spread across 8 lakh acres.
These losses have become unbearable because of the steep increase in the factors of production, he stated.
He concluded by saying that the government must not delay providing relief. (INN)