TIME TO CELEBRATE: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy presenting the irrigation cash crop (cotton) award to Sunkari Rama Devi (of Ganturpalli in Warangal district) in Hyderabad on Wednesday. (Right) Best seed production farmer award winner Bolli S eshagiri Rao (of Govindaraopet in Warangal district). - PHOTOs: K. RAMESH BABU

HYDERABAD: Using the farmers' felicitation function platform, Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on Wednesday, advised the Opposition not to criticise the Government just for the sake of it. Any inquiry would prove that the TDP Government also supplied power to farmers only for seven hours from January 2003.

Dr. Reddy said that his Government was committed to giving seven-hour power supply to agriculture sector at any cost. He derided the campaigns of `feel-good factor' and `India shining' by the erstwhile Governments at the Centre and in the State.

He appealed to all concerned not to debilitate the confidence levels of farmers.

Agriculture

While the Telugu Desam Party regime described agriculture as useless, he said that his Government was sparing no efforts to make it a "profitable avocation" to all those who eked out their living on agriculture and allied activities.

While there was no problem in giving free power to farmers for five successive crops (in the last two-and-a-half years), Dr. Reddy attributed the present problem to the Telugu Desam Party Government's lack of vision. "Had they preferred thermal power projects to gas-based units, we would not have inherited these problems," he said.

Increase in ground water table and the proportionate use of electricity to tap it resulted in acute power shortage.

However, the Government was spending Rs. 1,150 crore, in addition to the Rs. 2,500-crore subsidy and cross-subsidy, to purchase power to meet the demand.

Interest rate cut

He claimed credit for bringing down the interest rates on agricultural loans given by public sector banks to seven per cent and cooperative banks to five per cent.

Dr. Reddy said that the State Government was singularly responsible for waging a war against a multinational company to bring down the cost of 450-gram Bt cotton seed packets.

He was cheered by farmers when he took the help of a best farmer award-winner Sunkari Rama Devi of Warangal district.

He felicitated progressive farmers and officials of agriculture department. Ministers N. Raghuveera Reddy also spoke.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail