Government should take responsibility for cyclone loss: BJP

Nellore : BJP national secretary Y Satya Kumar stressed that the YSRCP government should take the responsibility for the crop loss due to recent Michaung Cyclone in the district. Along with the party leaders, he visited Inamadugu village of Vidavaluru mandal on Friday.

Later addressing a media conference at BJP district office, Satya Kumar alleged that despite the Meteorological department issuing warning 10 days before the occurrence of cyclone, the AP government was least bothered in initiating precautionary measures, which made lakhs of farmers’ families to hit the roads. He criticised that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was well aware of the impending Michaung Cyclone, but he took the issue lightly and confined to his Tadepalli Palace.

The BJP leader pointed out that earlier also when a train mishap took place at Visakhapatnam, the CM showed the same response and conducted an aerial survey two days after the accident. He expressed doubts over the compensation being paid to the farmers, who incurred loss due to the recent cyclone. He said that in its report submitted to Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the government mentioned that only 16 farmers were cultivating 0.04 hectares against the actual irrigated crop area 93 lakh acres by 60 lakh farmers in the present Kharif season.

The BJP national secretary informed that the AP government didn’t joined the PMFBY for the last three years, saying that it will extend the help to farmers. The government joined PMFBY in 2022-23, paying Rs 556 crore on behalf of 1.7 crore farmers. There is no clarity this year, he added.

Satya Kumar stated that in small State like Chhattisgarh, 14 lakh farmers have secured PMFBY in 2,000 hectares, but a big State like AP located in coastal belt was not interested in joining the scheme. He analysed that the Central government has already released Rs 450 crore each for both AP and Tamil Nadu under State Disaster Relief Fund, against an allocation Rs 493.6 crore regarding Michaung Cyclone. He demanded the State government to sanction Rs 30,000 for paddy and Rs 50,000 for commercial crops per acre, and Rs 2 lakh to the deceased families and Rs 25,000 to damaged houses.