The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : State has failed to help ryots: Naidu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 20, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

State has failed to help ryots: Naidu

Staff Reporter

`No check on migration of farm labour'

KAMAREDDY (NIZAMABAD DT.): The Telugu Desam president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, has expressed serious concern over rise in suicidal deaths of farmers and unabated migration of farm labourers due to lack of work.

Immediately after assuming office as Chief Minister last year, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had announced that there would not be a single suicidal death of farmers, but in practice he failed to control them, Mr. Naidu said.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the Opposition leader said within one year of the Congress rule 2,900 farmers ended their lives and 273 died of starvation. It was 194 and 12 in Nizamabad district alone.

Dig at Congress

The Congress had made a political issue when 900 farmers committed suicide during the nine-year rule of the TDP carrying out misinformation campaign that over 3,000 committed suicide. He asked the Government to reply to people why it failed to rescue farmers.

Migration

Alleging that the Food Assurance Scheme was not being implemented to stall the labour influx, he said people in large numbers were migrating to other States in search of work.

Although Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, Mahaboobnagar and Anantapur recorded less rainfall, the FAS was not launched in the districts, he alleged. Even if it was launched rice had not been distributed to workers, he said.

Mr. Naidu said machines were indiscriminately used in the FAS works flouting guidelines and low quality rice was distributed where the works were executed.

He decided to undertake `karavu yatra' to know the difficulties of people and instil a sense of security and confidence in them.

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