On Tuesday at Parakala and Narsampet divisions in Warangal district, farmers were seen touching the feet of Panchayat Raj Minister E. Dayakar Rao and Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy, who visited their fields the crops on which were damaged after heavy rains in the first week of this month.

“We have lost our crops due to heavy rains. Please rescue us and help us clear our debts,” was what they urged the Ministers.

The two Ministers admitted that the crop loss was heavy and promised that the issue would be taken to the notice of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

“There was heavy rain and hailstorm in the beginning of January and crops got damaged. We have never seen such rains in January. Even the weather forecasting department failed to predict it,” said Mr. Niranjan Reddy while speaking to the farmers during his visit.

Back in September 2021, the High Court had directed the State government to take steps to assess the crop loss that took place in September and October 2020 and extend relief to farmers, including tenants.

“Take steps in 3 months to assess the extensive crop loss across the State due to excessive and incessant rains in the months of September and October 2020. And extend, within one month thereafter, the relief/assistance in the form of agricultural input subsidy from National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF)/State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) under National Disaster Management Act 2005 to all the farmers, including tenant farmers, across the State of Telangana, affected by the rains. Also take steps for providing additional and appropriate relief to small and marginal cultivating farmers, who suffered huge economic loss in the absence of crop insurance coverage within four months,” read the orders issued by the High Court on September 28, 2021.

Vissa Kiran Kumar, one of the persons who filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the court, informed The Hindu that the government had failed to implement the court order so far and requested the government to help farmers who incurred heavy loss due to rains.

“The government has approached the Supreme Court against the direction delivered by the High Court and we are waiting for the judgment,” said a senior government official on condition of anonymity.

Source - https://www.thehindu.com