A P urges Centre to forgo interest on farm loans

New Delhi, Mar 5 (UNI) Seeking Central Government's assistance to waive off interest on farm loans, Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy, along with a delegation, today met Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

Accompanied by state Cooperation and Industry Minister K Lakshminarayana and MPs, he submitted a letter of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to the two Union Ministers.

It may be recalled here that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a special package for the 31 districts where the farmers' suicide cases were the highest. Waiver of interest on accumulated agriculture loans, only upto July one 2006, was a part of that package. This would mean only Rs 1400 crores of interest waiver could be extended to about 7 to 8 lakh farmers in 16 of 31 identified distressed districts, denying the benefit to half of these districts.

The delegation wanted the Union Ministers to extend the economic package to 20 lakh small and marginal farmers in the state.

Later, talking to newspersons the two Andhra Pradesh ministers said their Central counterparts appreciated the state's view point and the need to work out a package once again.

Mr Pawar asked A P government to submit a detailed proposal with the relevant details to enable him to work out a package.

Andhra Pradesh would now submit a detailed proposal in a week's time.

The delegation included Andhra Pradesh MPs D Vital Rao, K S Rao, J D Seelam, L Rajagopal, Nandi Yellaiah, A Venkatram Reddy, A Saipratap, Badiga Ramakrishna, Nizamuddin and Balashowry.

UNI