Top Stories
Telangana: KCR opposes hike in fertilizer rates, shoots letter to PM Modi | Hyderabad News
HYDERABAD: Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday said that farmers were bearing the brunt of faulty policies of the Centre in both the cases of increasing fuel prices and fertilizers rates.
Expressing concern over the proposal to enhance fertilizer prices, the CM demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the present cost of fertilizers are maintained and additional cost should be borne by the Centre.
In a strongly worded letter to PM Modi on Wednesday on behalf of farmers, KCR said the Centre’s policies were not only contributing to increasing the cost of cultivation to the farmers but also defaulting on the promise of doubling the farmers’ income. Apart from this, reforms proposed in the agriculture electricity distribution sector by fixing power consumption meters are causing a great deal of anxiety to the farmers of the country.
The Telangana CM, who has been fighting against the Centre’s paddy procurement policy for the past couple of months and also demanded fixing up of guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agriculture produce, said certain policies of the Centre were adversely affecting the interest of the farming community in the country — Telangana in particular.
“In February 2016, the Centre had announced that it would double the farmers income in six years by 2022. Despite passage of over five years, no specific or structured programme has been initiated towards this direction,” KCR pointed out. Contrary to the policies of doubling the income of farmers, all the input costs of agriculture were doubled in the past few years and their revenue declined, he said.
“The Centre was turning a blind eye to the increasing fertilizer prices in the past six years while encouraging the states to take up campaigns to reduce the usage of Urea and DAP consumption. The prices of the two most consumed fertilizers 28.28/0 and Muriate of Potash have increased more than 50 per cent and 100 per cent respectively in the past three months,” the CM said in his letter.
The TRS president, who alleged the Centre was adopting anti-farmer policies on all the forums, said fuel consumption was increased in the agriculture sector due to farm mechanization and indiscriminate imposition of cess across the board despite no increase in import price of crude oil adding to the woes of the farmers.
“The GoI was modifying the fertilizer subsidy regime, which has been in practice for the past seven years, against the interest of the farming community,” the CM stated.
He also recalled the Telangana assembly passed a unanimous resolution to integrate MGNREGA with agriculture activity so that the cost of labour was partially borne by the Centre. “But there was no response from you,” he said.
Expressing concern over the proposal to enhance fertilizer prices, the CM demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the present cost of fertilizers are maintained and additional cost should be borne by the Centre.
In a strongly worded letter to PM Modi on Wednesday on behalf of farmers, KCR said the Centre’s policies were not only contributing to increasing the cost of cultivation to the farmers but also defaulting on the promise of doubling the farmers’ income. Apart from this, reforms proposed in the agriculture electricity distribution sector by fixing power consumption meters are causing a great deal of anxiety to the farmers of the country.
The Telangana CM, who has been fighting against the Centre’s paddy procurement policy for the past couple of months and also demanded fixing up of guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for agriculture produce, said certain policies of the Centre were adversely affecting the interest of the farming community in the country — Telangana in particular.
“In February 2016, the Centre had announced that it would double the farmers income in six years by 2022. Despite passage of over five years, no specific or structured programme has been initiated towards this direction,” KCR pointed out. Contrary to the policies of doubling the income of farmers, all the input costs of agriculture were doubled in the past few years and their revenue declined, he said.
“The Centre was turning a blind eye to the increasing fertilizer prices in the past six years while encouraging the states to take up campaigns to reduce the usage of Urea and DAP consumption. The prices of the two most consumed fertilizers 28.28/0 and Muriate of Potash have increased more than 50 per cent and 100 per cent respectively in the past three months,” the CM said in his letter.
The TRS president, who alleged the Centre was adopting anti-farmer policies on all the forums, said fuel consumption was increased in the agriculture sector due to farm mechanization and indiscriminate imposition of cess across the board despite no increase in import price of crude oil adding to the woes of the farmers.
“The GoI was modifying the fertilizer subsidy regime, which has been in practice for the past seven years, against the interest of the farming community,” the CM stated.
He also recalled the Telangana assembly passed a unanimous resolution to integrate MGNREGA with agriculture activity so that the cost of labour was partially borne by the Centre. “But there was no response from you,” he said.
Source link
