TRS govt should come to rescue of farmers: Renuka Chowdhury

Hyderabad, Oct 6: Stating that farmers in some Telangana districts have suffered huge losses due to supply of "fake" seeds, senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury today urged the TRS government to come to their rescue and provide compensation.

"In the districts of Nalgonda, Khammam and Warangal lot of fake seeds were distributed due to which crops failed (both Rabi and Kharif) for the past few seasons and farmers suffered huge losses," the former Union minister told reporters here.

"Farmers had no relief...though there was a Rs 771-crore input subsidy released by the Centre, but the state government has not deposited one paisa into the farmers' (bank) accounts," she alleged.

The Rajya Sabha MP also questioned why despite the state having agricultural universities and institutions, seed certification was not done.

"My demand is that the state government should attach properties of such spurious seed companies and pay compensation to farmers, who are now under a lot of pressure. Their loans should be paid by the state and free quality seeds should be provided immediately to farmers for the next crop.

Besides, under MGNREGA farm labour should be supplied to farmers," Chowdhury demanded. On the ongoing process of formation of new districts in Telangana, she alleged it was not being done in a scientific manner.

"There have been no public hearings and no scientific method of application and no one knows how the districts have been formed," she said. Chowdhury accused the TRS government of working only for rich people and serving only them.

"The two-BHK houses to poor and allotment of three acres of land to poor Dalit families is nowhere in sight. Instead, MLAs and MPs (from other parties), who have crossed over into TRS are given valuable land at throw-away prices," she alleged.

PTI