A D Rangarajan | The Hindu | September 5, 2023
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has accused the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government in Andhra Pradesh of doing away with the welfare schemes introduced for the benefit of farmers during his tenure.
Mr. Naidu was interacting with the groundnut farmers at Pallepalli village in Rayadurg constituency here on September 5 (Tuesday) after inspecting the dried-up groundnut crop sown during the kharif season.
Pointing out that the farmers of the combined Anantapur district depended heavily on groundnut, he recalled how the incumbent government systematically destroyed the support system made available by the TDP government in the form of input subsidy, crop insurance, micro irrigation measures such as drip and sprinkler equipment on subsidy.
“We took up the Bhairavanithippa project estimated at ₹970 crore and even dug canals to an extent of 18 km. The project would have been completed by 2020 had the TDP come to power in 2019,” he said.
Mr. Naidu recalled that the Jeedipalli, Marala, Cherlopalli and Gollapalli reservoirs, all of them in the drought-prone Anantapur district, had been constructed during the TDP term.
Mr. Naidu also accused the YSRCP government of being “anti-farmer,” for charging 7% interest on farm loans.
The farmers narrated their tales of woe to Mr. Naidu in the absence of micro irrigation support, for which the latter promised to revive it upon coming to power.
