Rythu Sangam to stage ‘Maha Dharna’ on June 30

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham (APRS) will organise a massive protest (Maha Dharna) in Vijayawada on June 30 seeking to resolve the farmers’ problems in the state.

Disclosing the details on Thursday, APRS state secretary K Prabhakar Reddy said the state government failed to provide input subsidies and crop insurance for the farmers, who lost their crops during natural calamities and floods in the previous year’s Kharif and Rabi seasons.

He along with APRS leaders Y Kesava Rao, PV Anjaneyulu and M Haribabu released a poster here. Speaking on the occasion, Prabhakar Reddy requested farmers to take part in ‘Maha Dharna’ and make the programme a success. Farmers who cultivated cotton, tomato, groundnut, maize, tobacco, banana, mango, and turmeric crops were lost in the previous year, he felt.

Though the kharif season started, the state government did not release the crop insurance to farmers, he said. Also, the state government had failed to pay compensation for lands which were acquired for the irrigation projects, industries, and NHAI and rail lines. The state government should pay the compensation to farmers, he demanded.

The Rythu Sangham leader demanded completion of Polavaram Project and Uttarandhra irrigation projects. He further demanded to enhance the bank loan limit from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh for Sunna Vaddi loans and Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for the Pavala Vaddi loans. Besides, his sangham is fighting against the state government to resolve several problems which are faced by the farmers, he added.